On 4 January 2006, the Carpathian Convention entered into force as a new international treaty to conserve the rich wildlife, wondrous landscapes and cultural heritage of the Carpathian mountainous region.

With the ratification of Hungary, four countries (with Slovak Republic, Ukraine and the Czech Republic) have now ratified the Carpathian Convention allowing it to come into full legal force.

The treaty covers seven countries - the Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland, Romania, Serbia and Montenegro, the Slovak Republic and the Ukraine - whose cultural heritage is also considered unique and shared. This Carpathian treaty was adopted and signed in May 2003 at the fifth Environment for Europe Conference which took place in Kyiv, Ukraine by all seven countries concerned.

Klaus Toepfer, Executive Director of the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) which has played a key role in the development of the Convention, said that: “the entry into force offers a beacon of hope for the people and wildlife of this region faced with the pressures of a rapidly changing world. I would urge the three countries yet to ratify to do so as soon as they can”.

Indeed UNEP has recently received requests from the South East European (Balkan) and Caucasus mountain regions to support transboundary initiatives and cooperation inspired by its work on the Carpathians.

Please consult the Website of the Carpathian Convention for any further information:
www.carpathianconvention.org.