Europe ministerial conference concludes with pledge to promote sustainable infrastructure

New Delhi:The 9th Environment for Europe Ministerial Conference conclude in Nicosia, Cyprus, with the adoption of a ministerial declaration of commitment to transition to a green economy with sustainable infrastructure.

The declaration also called upon the countries to join and commit actions under the Global Tourism Plastics Initiative, and underlines the need for more and stronger education for sustainable development.

The Environment for Europe Ministerial Conference was held on 5-7 October 2022 and brought together some 1,000 participants, with some 70 country delegations, as well as representatives of European and international organizations.

During the conference the countries pledged to support efforts to reduce water and energy use and greenhouse gas emissions from tourism, particularly in high-impact sub-sectors as well as to improve efficiency in the use of other resources, such as water.

They further committed to improve sanitation, wastewater treatment and waste management.

According to the declaration a particular attention was given to the importance of infrastructure development and tourism as major sectors concerned in transitioning to a green economy.

In the light of this, the declaration also calls on countries to join and commit actions to the Global Tourism Plastics Initiative that unites the tourism sector behind a common vision of circular economy of plastics, and the Glasgow Declaration: a commitment to a Decade of Tourism Climate Action.

The Declaration also “strongly condemns the unprovoked and unjustified aggression against Ukraine by the armed forces of the Russian Federation” and recalls the related General Assembly resolutions.

Advancing Education for sustainable development and the implementation of multilateral environmental agreements was also mentioned in the declaration.

In addition, the declaration underscores the need for more and stronger education for sustainable development to advance environmental governance, to strengthen environmental democracy and to empower learners of all ages with the knowledge, skills, values and attitudes to address the interconnected global challenges.