201218 Information on the activity 2020

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18 December 2020

INFORMATION ON THE ACTIVITY
OF THE RUSSIAN NATIONAL COMMITTEE
FOR SUPPORTING UNEP

Russian National Committee for UNEP is established in 1994 on a joint initiative of UNEP and a number of governmental structures of the Russian Federation, including the Foreign Ministry, as well as scientific and business community of the country, in line with the UNEP Governing Council decisions and resolutions of the 40^th and 44^thSessions of the UN General Assembly. Founders of UNEPCOM were the Russian Academy of Sciences, the Russian Academy of Medical Sciences, the Russian Academy of Natural Sciences and Union of Journalists of Russia.

UNEPCOM is formed on a basis of the wide cross-sectorial representation – government, local administration, NGOs, academia, education and culture, woman organizations, business and industrial communities, mass media, religious, youth and other organizations and groups of the civil society. There are leading specialists and high-ranking managers in UNEPCOM, which provide to get various scientific, public and administrative forces to take part in solving all kind of practical tasks in the field of the environment and development.

The Russian UNEPCOM performs the same functions as all UNEP National Committees do and the UNEP documents prescribe for being a multi-stakeholder support organization, UNEPCOM acts as a channel of communication and cooperation between the civil society of Russia and UNEP.

Activity of UNEPCOM, like to all UNEP national committees, is aimed at the support of both UNEP and its own government in realization of international agreements and implementation of complex programs in the field of the environment and sustainable development at national level. On one hand, it lobbies UNEP in regard to fulfilment of the UN decisions by the country, on the other hand – its own country in regard to defend its interests at the international level.

President of UNEPCOM is Mr. Andrey Adrianov, Vice-President of the Russian Academy of Sciences (RAS), Chairman of the RAS Committee on UNEP, Member of the Interagency Commission on Environmental Safety of the Security Council to the President of the Russian Federation.

Vice-Presidents and Members of the Presidium of UNEPCOM are engaged in the work of public and expert councils to the main ministries and agencies dealing with environmental problems, parliament chambers and Expert Council to the Russian Government.

UNEPCOM is engaged in all main fields of UNEP’s activity and realizes its projects through its Centers:

Information and Analytic Center

Delivers information to all interested stakeholders on environmental and sustainable development issues, activity of UNEP and other UN bodies, as well as Russian officials, scientific and business communities and environmental organizations.

UNEPCOM has site www.unepcom.ru that provides information in Russian language about UNEP, its activity, environmental events in the world and in Russia. The site is actively used by governmental and parliamentary bodies to get a fresh information about environmental situation and environmental problems within the country and in the world.

Center for Analysis, Assessment and Accounting of Natural Disasters and Risks

Carries out pre-project research and recommendations to the companies concerned on different issues from the point of view of preventing possible negative consequences due to the occurrence of natural hazards and prevent man-made disasters from the effects of these phenomena on industrial facilities.

Center of Environmental Expertise and Audit

Carries out independent environmental impact assessments for newly constructed businesses and audit of existing facilities in the border areas taking into account their possible cross-border impact on the environment, including on behalf of and under the auspices of UNEP;

Makes recommendations for preventing damage to the environment and the interests of other users of natural resources, having for many years the economic activities and living on these territories.

Center of Effective Available Environmentally Sound Technologies for Non Waste Nature Management

Supports to development and implementation of the latest national environmentally sound technologies in the field of solid waste disposal, mining waste, sludge treatment facilities, recycling of wood waste and peat, sludge disposal , and the restoration of fertility of agricultural lands and landscape, cleaning of soils from various types of industrial pollution, of independent energy and heat supply of local raw materials (wood and agricultural waste), prevention of dusting of the coal during transportation and handling, etc.

Center for Effective Working of Longevity

In cooperation with the Russian Academy of Sciences develops and organizes production of special functional products and preparations made from environmentally clean natural raw materials for preventive health care of working personal and populations working and leaving in unfavorable environment.

Number of the biggest industrial companies of Russia, as well as Federal and State universities, institutes of the Russian Academy of Sciences and brunch institutes are members of UNEPCOM. The Russian Union of Industrialists and Entrepreneurs (RSPP), the Chamber of Commerce and Industry of the Russian Federation are partners of UNEPCOM. In line with an Agreement with the High Commissioner for Human Rights in the Russian Federation UNEPCOM acts as an expert organization for protection of the constitutional rights of citizens for a decent environment.

Several projects is being fulfilled under the aegis of UNEPOM in the fields of remote following the movement of large ice floes and icebergs, prevention of collision of ships with large marine animals; disposal of industrial and domestic wastes in ports, on vessels and platforms in the Arctic zone; remote sensing monitoring of oil pollution of marine waters; disposal of oil sludge; equipment icebreaking fleet with the necessary means for liquidation of emergency floods of oil and oil products in the Arctic; restoration of the lost fertility of agricultural lands and landscape, and maintain a fertile layer of soil when planting roadside areas of automobile roads, preventing the dusting of coal during transportation and handling, reducing the content of harmful emissions into the atmosphere by burning it, etc.

Another project deals with development of a system of autonomous life support based on gasification technology of combustible recycling of process and municipal waste. This system includes water treatment, water delivery, sewerage and wastewater treatment plants and autonomous power and heat supply that is very useful for solving problems under natural disaster.

In cooperation with scientists of Belorussia UNEPCOM has worked out and realizes a project on development of technological process and equipment for mobile systems for rapid elimination of consequences of accidents on oil pipelines and product pipelines, processing accumulated sludge. As a result, there will be a possibility to produce and deliver them to all regions of Russia that will allow to clear large areas of contaminated land and bring them back into economic circulation and to prevent contamination of new areas.

Partners of UNEPCOM have also a set of technologies that allows to construct closed cycles of production on the collection and recycling of used tyres and the use of crumb rubber in construction and road-building products, manufacture of carbon black.

These works performed under auspice of UNEPCOM were awarded a National Environmental Prize.

At present the UNEPCOM’s Center for Effective Working of Longevity works out a project on adaptation of personnel of companies operating in adverse climatic and technogenic conditions, including those on ships in the Arctic and tropical areas of the World Ocean.

UNEPCOM started a new project “Major World Religions on Careful Attitude to Nature” supported by an Interreligious Council of Russia. It is supposed to publish a book “Commandments of the Earth” (working title) describing interrelation between human being and the environment as it set forth in the foundational scriptures of Christian, Muslim, Jewish, and Buddhist religions and a need for a careful, reasonable attitude to the World around us.

Since 2007 UNEPCOM is a permanent participant and official partner of the International Environmental Forums “Nature without Borders” regularly held in Vladivostok (Russia).

Mr. V.Usov, Executive Director of UNEPCOM, made some presentations for the for the Forums, namely:

-“Transboundary natural processes in the Asia-Pacific region and the role of negative technogenic impact on it in the extraordinary natural phenomenon in the region” (2016);

-“Transboundary and trans-regional natural processes and their role in formation of environmental and socio-economic situation in the region” (2017);

- “International legal liability for transboundary pollution of the environment, natural hazards and risks in connection with climate change and the necessity to take them into account while planning all kined of economic activity” (2018).

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Mr. V.Usov, Executive Director of UNEPCOM, (second from the left)at the Forum “Nature without Borders”

UNEPOM is also a permanent participant and a co-organizer of the Baikal International Environmental Water Forums regularly held in Irkutsk (Russia). Academician S. Kolesnikov, Vice-President of UNEPCOM, Counselor of the Russian Academy of Sciences, was a Moderator of the plenary sessions of the 2017 and 2018 Forums, and Mr. Usov was a Moderator of the thematic session on transboundary contamination of the Baikal natural territory and made some presentations, namely:

- “Role of transboundary and trans-regional atmospheric processes in formation of water balance of Baikal lake and role of small tributary rivers in pollution of Baikal” (2017);

- “Natural hazards and risks in connection with climate change and the necessity to take them into account in the long terms territorial planning” (2018).

UNEPCOM is regular participant of the International Arctic Forums.

At the 2016 Forum “Arctic: Today and the Future” in Saint-Petersburg and at the 2017 Forum “Arctic: Territory of Dialogue” in Archangelsk (Russia) UNEPCOM made presentations on adaptation of the local population and personnel of industrial companies to adverse technogenic and climatic conditions of the Arctic.

Mr. V.Usov was a moderator of a panel session “Improvement of Medicine and Public Health in the Russian Arctic”.

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Mr. V.Usov, Executive Director of UNEPCOM, at the Forum “Arctic: Today and the Future”

During the 2017 Forum “Arctic: Territory of Dialogue” in Archangelsk there was a working meeting of Executive Director of UNEP Mr. E. Solheim, Director UNEP ROE Mr. J. Dusik, Head of UNEP Moscow Office Mr. V. Moshkalo, President of UNEPCOM Mr. V. Bogdanov and Executive Director of UNEPCOM Mr. V. Usov.

Leadership of UNEP was informed about projects of the Russian UNEPCOM being realized and under development together with its members and partners in line with all fields of UNEP’s activity. In particular a project of adaptation of local population and personnel of industrial companies in adverse climatic conditions of the Arctic and a project on dust removal at coal-fired offshore terminals were highlighted.

Proposals of UNEPCOM about organization of environmental tourism in the Arctic on ice-class vessels, as well as information about organization of environmental cruise of journalists from other countries to the Caspian Region and other projects were perceived with interest.

Mr. V. Bogdanov, President of UNEPCOM at that time, stressed the necessity to more actively involve journalist’s society to environmental projects, carry out journalistic landing to environmentally unfavorable areas and widely inform about results of it in mass media.

Mr. V. Usov, Executive Director of UNEPCOM, raised a question about a new strategy on UNEP about National Committees that is under development in UNEP. He expressed his hope, that this work will be finalized soon. He also noted that UNEPCOM has rich experience in organization of cooperation between scientific, business and civil society for achieving a balance of environmental interests. In this connection, UNEPCOM is ready to help UNEP in development of recommendations to UNEP National Committees for their effective activities.

In this regard, it should be noted that UNEPOM made such an offer back in 2017 in its letter to Mr. J. Dusik, Director of UNEP ROE (Supplement 5).

Both sides expressed their hope for further fruitful cooperation.

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UNEP and UNEPCOM at the 2017 Forum “Arctic: Territory of Dialogue” in Archangelsk

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Working breakfast of UNEP and UNEPCOM at the 2017 Forum “Arctic: Territory of Dialogue” in Archangelsk

UNEPCOM carries out close cooperation on the environmental security with the industrial companies of Russia. Executive Director of UNEPCOM Mr. V.Usov is a member of the Committee on Ecology and Environment Management of the Russian Union of Industrialists and Entrepreneurs (RSPP), as well as the Chamber of Commerce and Industry of the Russian Federation.

Taking participation in the annual environmental forums within the frame of Russian Business Week UNEPCOM regularly makes presentation and proposes decisions on solving environmental problems.

In 2019 President of UNEPCOM , Vice President of Russian Academy of Sciences, Academician A. Adrianov presented a report “Actual problems of interaction of science, business, government and civil society in terms of conservation of the natural environment, rational use of natural resources, human safety and conservation of human capital”;

in 2020 Executive Director of UNEPCON Mr. V. Usov presented a report at the Forum Conference “Industrial ecology in the context of countering the spread of coronavirus” proposing to science and business to collaborate in the field of saving health of production personnel under the emergence of new natural biological hazards.

The necessity of such cooperation was also raised by UNEPCOM at the 2019 Eastern Economic Forum in Vladivostok where Executive Director of UNEPCOM presented a report “International and interregional scientific and technological cooperation in the field of protection of the environment and rational use of nature as the most important factor of sustainable development of the Far East Region”.

Mr. V.Usov, Executive Director of UNEPCOM, at the Eastern Economic Forum 2019.

On the initiative of UNEPCOM in 2018, the Russian Academy of Sciences (RAS) established a Committee of RAS on UNEP in order to initiate, form, coordinate and support interdisciplinary and interagency research projects, involving scientific divisions of RAS, Universities and branch institutes, as well as scientific and technical divisions of industrial companies for solving problems of the environment and environmental management within the scope of the UNEP.

President of UNEPCOM Academician A. Adrianov was appointed as a Chairman of the Committee, and the Executive Director of UNEPCOM Mr. V.Usov – as a Scientific Secretary of the Committee and an Adviser of Vice-President of RAS.

Mr. V. Usov and Mr. A. Adrianov (second to the right) at the meeting of the Committee of RAS on UNEP.

During a visit of the Director of UNEP ROE Mr. Bruno Pozzi in Russia in May 2019 he met leadership of UNEPCOM and RAS. From Russian side Meeting was attended by Academician A. Adrianov, President of UNEPCOM, Vice- President of RAS, Mr, V. Usov, Executive Director of UNEPCOM, and Academician Yu. Balega, Vice-President of RAS, who is responsible for international cooperation of RAS.

UNEP was also represented at the Meeting by Mr. V. Moshkalo, Head of the Moscow Office of UNEP. Questions of all round cooperation, as well as preparation of an agreement on cooperation between RAS and UNEP were discussed.

Mr. B. Pozzi (second to the left) at the Russian Academy of Sciences.
Academician A. Adrianov (first to the right), Academician Yu. Balega (third to the right),
Mr. V. Usov (fourth to the right), Mr. V. Moshkalo (first to the left)

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