Background information

UNECE (United Nations Economic Commission for Europe) is one of five regional commissions of the UN. It brings together 56 countries and its major aim is to promote pan-European economic integration. The UNECE region covers more than 47 million km2 and is home to about 17% of the world's population. UNECE negotiated  five environmental treaties, including the Air Convention (CLRTAP). 

The Air Convention (LRTAP Convention) entered into force 1983. The Convention, which has 51 Parties, was the first international legally binding instrument to deal with air pollution on a regional basis. The aim of the Convention is that Parties shall endeavor to limit and, as far as possible, gradually reduce and prevent air pollution including long-range transboundary air pollution by developing policies and strategies to combat the discharge of air pollutants through exchanges of information, consultation, research and monitoring.

The Convention has been extended by eight protocols (1985 - 1999), which identify specific measures to be taken by Parties to cut their emissions of air pollutants.   Protocols that have been amended since 2000 are:  the Gothenburg Protocol (2012), the Protocol on Heavy Metals (2012) and the Protocol on POPs (2009).

The WGSR (Working group on Strategies and Review) is the principal negotiating body for the Convention.

The EMEP  (European Monitoring and Evaluation Programme) is a scientifically based and policy driven programme under the Air Convention for international collaboration of a broad network of scientists and national experts to solve transboundary air pollution problems. The EMEP provides scientific support to the Air Convention on:

  • Atmospheric monitoring and modeling
  • Emission inventories and emission projections
  • Integrated assessment modeling

The EMEP Steering Body is the supervisory body to the EMEP programme. Five EMEP Centers (CCC, CEIP, CIAM, MSCw, MSCe) and four Task Forces (TFEIP, TFIAM, TFMM, TFHTAP)  undertake efforts in support of the EMEP work plan. 

The TFEIP (Task Force on Emission Inventories and Projections) supports Parties in the reporting of air emissions and projections to the Convention by providing a technical forum and expert network to identify problems and establish methodologies to estimate emissions .