Europe & CIS

Cyprus Moves Forward in Peace Efforts

Nicosia, Cyprus,  March 2009-Reunification efforts in Cyprus received a boost, after the Chambers of Commerce in both communities agreed to a business initiative. Significantly, Cyprus President Demetris Christofias and Turkish Cypriot leader Mehmet Ali Talat also attended the signing ceremony, as they work toward resolving political divisions in Cyprus.

Bosnia and Herzegovina Battles Silent Threat

Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina, March 2009-Bosnia and Herzegovina has acquired two new mine clearing machines, as part of its ongoing efforts to remove more than one million landmines. The landmines are a legacy of the country’s conflicts in the 1990s — a legacy that continues to inflict damage.

Turkmenistan Forum Looks to Empower Rural Females

Ashbagat, Turkmenistan, March 2009-A highly successful programme for rural women in Turkmenistan should be replicated throughout the country, participants at a wrap-up conference on the project concluded. Participants also stressed the need for continued support to strengthen the small businesses already in place. Video: Women Empowerment in Turkmenistan

Ukrainian Celebrities Join Campaign to Protect Women

Kyiv, Ukraine, March 2009- On International Women's Day, prominent Ukrainian artists, athletes, politicians and writers were among the Ukrainian men who joined a new network fighting violence against women in the country. Violence against women in the Ukraine is an endemic problem.  

Anti-drug Programme Just the Beginning says Belarus, Moldova, Ukraine

Minsk, Belarus, March 2009-Belarus, Moldova and Ukraine vowed to continue cooperative drug-fighting efforts, at the close of a programme that brought those countries together in the fight against drug trafficking and drug addiction. Both illicit trafficking and drug abuse plague all three countries, and the problem could get worse with the current global economic downturn.

Uzbekistan Job Fair to Help the Disabled

Bosnia and Herzegovina Targets Surplus Ammunition

Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina,  February 2009-Authorities destroyed surplus rocket propellant in Vitezit this month, as part of an ongoing effort to rid Bosnia and Herzegovina of increasingly hazardous ammunition. The country has a roughly 25,000 tons of surplus ammunition, a legacy of its conflicts in the 1990s. Dismantling all the explosives is one the country’s biggest security priorities.

Anti-Corruption Efforts Move Forward in Macedonia

Bratislava, Slovakia, February 2009-In its latest salvo against corruption,  the State Commission for Prevention of Corruption of Macedonia joined an anti-corruption network Feb. 19. The move allows the commission to share resources with other members of the Anti-Corruption Practitioners Network, an alliance in Eastern Europe and the former Soviet republics, the Commonwealth of Independent States.

ISO: Southwest Serbia Seeks Tourists

Novi Pazar, Serbia,  February 2009—Wanted: natural Serbian beauty seeks tourists who love the outdoors. That’s the plan for the Mount Golija region in southwest Serbia. Three new projects, funded with the help of the European Union, have been launched to help draw tourists to the area.

Landmark Report Warns of Climate Change Perils in Croatia

Zagreb, Croatia, February 2009-Tourism revenue will drop. Rivers and lakes will rise.  Killer heat waves will increase. These are among the dire predictions of a breakthrough report on the affects of climate change on Croatia. Published by the United Nations Development Programme, the report, “A Climate for Change,” assesses the impact of climate change on Croatia.

Shaken, Armenia Applies Past Earthquake Lessons to Future

Humanitarian Emergency Threatens Central Asia

Almaty, Kazakhstan, February 2009- Unprecedented low water levels at Central Asia's two largest hydropower stations could create a humanitarian emergency in Central Asia in the next few months, according to a new report by the United Nations Development Programme.

Georgia War-Recovery Progresses with EU, UNDP Help

Moldovan Youth and Women Programme Earns Honors

Chişinău, Moldova, February 2009-More than 630 youths have gained jobs and more than 4,100 individuals vulnerable to human trafficking and poverty have been helped by an award-winning Moldovan program. The program assists Moldovans struggling with a variety of issues including unemployment and domestic violence.

New Tuberculosis Treatment Centre Opens in Belarus

Minsk, Belarus, February 2009-A new tuberculosis prevention and treatment centre has opened in Minsk to help stem the spread of the disease in Belarus. Financed by the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria, the centre will offer training in the prevention, treatment and diagnosis of tuberculosis. The United Nations Development Programme and the Belarus Ministry of Health also partnered on the project.

Kosovo Businesses Commit to Social Responsibility

Pristina, Kosovo, January 2009-Kosovo’s two biggest telecommunications companies and two biggest banks are among the businesses that have agreed to a United Nations initiative aligning the private sector with social change and development.

European Commission, UNDP, Launch Programme to Cut Disaster Risks in SE Europe

Sarajevo, Bosnia and Herzegovina, January 2009- With southeastern Europe vulnerable to earthquakes, floods and other hazards, regional leaders met in Sarajevo to discuss ways to reduce risk from such disasters. The meetings set the table for a regional initiative to reduce disaster risks to be launched in March 2009 by the United Nations Development Programme and the European Commission.

Four More Years of Cooperation in Croatia

Zagreb, Croatia,  January 2009–The United Nations Development Programme and the Croatian government agreed to four more years of cooperation in a Jan. 16 signing ceremony. The agreement will continue mutual anti-violence programmes in the country.

Albanian Companies to Promote Socially Responsible Practices

Tirana, Albania January 2009– Thirty-five Albanian companies committed to socially responsible corporate practices as part of the UN Global Compact. The companies gathered in Tirana Dec. 16 at an event organized by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) in Albania and the UN Global Compact office in New York in cooperation with Albania’s Ministry of Economy, Trade and Energy.

Unemployment and poverty: key topics of concern for Kosovars

Pristina, Kosovo, January 2009 - A new poll shows unemployment and poverty to be key topics of concern for a broad cross-section of Kosovars. The United Nations Development Programme poll, known as the Early Warning System, was conducted to assess potential security challenges for the country.