Areas of Focus

Montreal Protocol (MP)

Phasing out of ozone depleting substances (ODSs) based on CFC compounds (chlorofluorocarbons) is one of the major activities of UNIDO in the region. The projects are financed from the Montreal Protocol Fund. The following 10 countries benefit from the UNIDO MP programmes: Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, Georgia, Kyrgyzstan, Montenegro, Romania, Serbia, Macedonia and Turkey. In total, UNIDO implements at present 28 ODS projects in the region.

Persistent Organic Pollutants (POPs)

UNIDO assists countries in the formulation of the National Implementation Plans to eliminate POPs and reduce the hazardous effect of the most toxic chemicals to the environment in line with the Stockholm Convention. UNIDO POPs projects are funded from GEF resources. Four countries benefit from UNIDO assistance: Azerbaijan, Croatia, Hungary and Turkey. UNIDO plans to initiate the POPs programmes in Armenia, Romania, Russian Federation and Tajikistan.

Cleaner Production (CP)

The (CP) Programmes aim at building national CP capacities, fostering dialogue between industry and government and enhancing investments for the transfer and development of Environmentally Sound Technologies (EST).Since 1994, around 38 National Cleaner Production Centres and Programmes have been established. 14 of them are located in the Europe & NIS region: Armenia, Bulgaria, Czech Republic, Croatia, Hungary, FYR Macedonia, Montenegro, Romania, Russian Federation (Moscow and St. Petersburg), Serbia, Slovakia, Ukraine, and Uzbekistan. Project proposals are being developed for Azerbaijan and Kazakhstan.

Non-combustion technologies

UNIDO global demonstration programme co-funded by GEF and the Government of Slovakia (budget US$ 20 million) focuses on non-combustion innovative technologies to destroy Persistent Organic Pollutants.

Water management

UNIDO has successfully implemented projects enhancing the capacity of regional government in sound environmental management of water infrastructure and sewage facilities. The new project initiated in 2007 will assist the regional government in formulating policies to reduce man-made pollution in the basin of the Western Bug River, Ukraine.Transfer of Environmentally Sound Technology (TEST) Programme was carried out in the Danube River Basin and provided technological assistance for 17 enterprises (industrial pollutants) in Bulgaria, Croatia, Hungary, Romania and Slovakia.

Climate Change: Industrial Energy Efficiency and Renewable Sources of Energy

The Europe & NIS Programme actively promotes UNIDO activities in the field of energy efficiency and renewable sources of energy exposing UNIDO's capacity as a GEF implementing agency. Several projects are under processing for Moldova, Romania, Russian Federation, Turkmenistan and Ukraine.Special emphasis is put on the development of the bioenergy related programmes in the region. UNIDO implemented the biofuels project in Croatia and formulated the project for Albania. The Biofuels Regional Workshop in Croatia (Cavtat-Dubrovnik, 12-13 November 2007) provided the new impetus for initiating the country oriented and regional biofuels programmes. UNIDO has initiated cooperation with the UNEP Vienna Interim Secretariat of the Carpathian Convention in this field.