Abstract
South Eastern Europe, being shattered with conflicts in the last decades, still faces numerous challenges today such as inadequate growth, declining living standards and high environmental stress. Climate change will exacerbate the situation in the future. Since environmental security is an emerging concern that cannot be tackled with traditional approaches, new ways to deal with it have to be developed. Cooperation forms the core of such means, aiming at a cross-sectoral approach and guaranteeing a wide-stakeholder participation with the view of integrating the principle of sustainable development into national policies.
The ENVSEC, a unique partnership between the UN and other agencies that is targeting certain hotspots in Europe and Central Asia can serve as a model to meet security and environmental concerns also in other areas of the world.
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Notes
- 1.
More information on ENVSEC can be obtained from http://www.envsec.org [last visited 7 June 2010].
- 2.
Convention on Biological Diversity 1992.
- 3.
United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change 1992.
- 4.
Available under: http://www.envsec.org/docs/envsec_eastern_europe.pdf [last visited 07 06 2010].
- 5.
IPCC Fourth Assessment Report (AR4), available under: http://www.ipcc.ch/publications_and_data/publications_ipcc_fourth_assessment_report_synthesis_report.htm [last visited 07 06 2010].
- 6.
See also http://www.envsec.org/see/index.php [last visited: 07 06 2010].
- 7.
During the period of 2006–2009, the implementation of activities related to these priorities were mainly supported by the Austrian Development Agency (ADA) through the project Environment and Security in South Eastern Europe: Improving regional cooperation for risk management from pollution hotspots as well as the transboundary management of shared natural resources and the Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA). The activities, implemented by UNEP’s ROE through its Vienna Office provided in-depth regional assessments for both mining hotspots and transboundary biodiversity, as well as site-specific feasibility studies and projects to be built upon and followed up in the further work of the initiative.
- 8.
Available under http://www.un.org/ga/search/view_doc.asp?symbol=A/64/350 [last visited 07 06 2010]. The report of the UN Secretary General was delivered in response to General Assembly Res. A/63/L.8, adopted on 27 October 2008, linking the issues of climate change and security implications.
- 9.
Available under: http://www.rcc.int/download.php?tip=docs&doc=Executive+Summary.pdf&doc_url=880018115ffd8639b185f2a49ba452ab [last visited: 07 06 2010].
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Sandei, P.C. (2011). The Environment and Security Initiative in South Eastern Europe: Transforming Risk into Cooperation. In: Montini, M., Bogdanovic, S. (eds) Environmental Security in South-Eastern Europe. NATO Science for Peace and Security Series C: Environmental Security. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-007-0228-8_2
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