Ukraine has the unique status of being home to some of the richest natural environments and resources in Europe while at the same time being one of the most heavily polluted countries in the region. Ukraine is one of the least energy efficient countries in the world. An inventory in 1990 estimated that total emissions from Ukraine were 246 million tons of CO2. As for 2002 the total emissions were 487.7 million tons of carbon equivalent.

Effective management of natural resources and environmental protection are essential to preserve life-supporting biological systems, improve the quality of life and reduce poverty in Ukraine. Poor environmental management in the past has resulted in an increased number of natural disasters in recent years in Ukraine, and worsened the health of the population. At present, 40% of the total territory of Ukraine is now eroded land, and is growing at approximately 80,000 hectares annually. At the same time, it has many natural assets in biodiversity and international waters of global importance and its industrial activities and energy consumption practices have important implications for global climate change.

UNDP’s environmental programme is addressing the issues through national and subregional activities, advocating the limitation of greenhouse gas emission through energy efficiency initiatives in district heating systems and promotion of renewable energy. Key international waters including the Dnipro and Danube Rivers and the Black Sea are the focus of sub-regional interventions, in cooperation with the Global Environment Fund. A Strategic Action Plan for the Dnipro is currently being developed, and regional projects on pollution reduction are being implemented for the Black Sea and the Danube. The partners and agencies in the Danube/Black Sea initiative are presently looking at a new strategic programme including capital investments, enforcement of environmental laws and strengthening of public participation, which will be supported by UNDP. Additionally, UNDP is supporting interventions in integrated land and water management, and forest and mountain ecosystems.

A pilot project taking place in Rivne addresses a key issue in the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions through large-scale improvements in energy efficiency in Ukraine’s communal heat supply sector. The implementation of the project is to demonstrate optimal energy saving practices at the stage of energy generation, energy transmission, and energy consumption, with lessons learned from the project to be shared with other municipalities in Ukraine.

Ukraine is actively involved with international environmental issues and is a party to 19 international conventions and protocols. In terms of Convention implementation and institutional arrangements the additional assistance to Ukraine is required as Ukraine is relatively newcomer to Kyoto Protocol, Cartagena Protocol, Convention to Combat Desertification, and Convention for the Protection of Environment of the Danube Basin and some other. The problems related to global environmental management are rooted in overall institutional weaknesses of governance, including environmental governance, in Ukraine. There is a pressing need to assess existing capacity and identify capacity building needs in the follow-up to the World Summit on Sustainable development and the 5th Environment for Europe Ministerial Conference (Kyiv, 2003).

The objective of the National Capacity Self-Assessment is for Ukraine to undertake a capacity assessment so that it can meet its requirements under the global environmental conventions, in particular those pertaining to climate change, land degradation, biodiversity, migratory waterbirds, and biosafety. In addition, the NCSA process will provide an opportunity to facilitate the development of concrete initiatives that will lead to synergistic approaches in addressing global environmental issues at the national and local level. At the same time it will integrate global environment management objectives to national environmental management and sustainable development frameworks. Furthermore it will facilitate dialogue, information exchange and cooperation amongst Ministries, Scientific Institutions of the Academy of Sciences, NGOs and the private sector and enhance general awareness about the Conventions countrywide. The main output of the process is expected to be the elaboration of a National Capacity Self Assessment Report and Action Plan.

The most profound global threat facing humanity today is the prospect that our economic activities will result in global warming, with serious consequences for the earth’s entire ecosystem and for the way of life in rich and poor societies alike. The international community is tackling this challenge through the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (1992) and the Kyoto Protocol to it (1997). The Kyoto Protocol envisages the introduction of a number of mechanisms, known as “flexible mechanisms”. 

These mechanisms – emissions trading (ET), joint implementation (JI), clean development mechanism (CDM) will facilitate the achievement of the Convention’s ultimate objective and will help Annex I parties (Ukraine is one of them) to fulfill their commitments regarding GHGs limitation and reduction. Joint Implementation approach gives countries the opportunity to achieve cost effective reduction of greenhouse gas emissions. Developing countries and countries in transition can benefit from foreign investments, increase their technical and managerial capacity, and hence contribute to the development. JI can also promote a global market for low emission technologies. UNDP’s assistance will be focused on the development of the legislative documents on procedures, national criteria and also mechanisms for complying with the obligations under the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change; creation of the national infrastructure for the realization of the Kyoto protocol’s “flexible mechanisms” (particular, establishment of Joint Implementation Secretariat), etc.

Ukraine’s soil is widely recognized as a major national asset thanks to its tremendous fertility and outstanding agricultural qualities. According to data compiled by the State Committee for Statistics, agriculture currently occupies 72% and forests 17.2% of the total land area (60.4 million ha). However, the Ukraine is one of the countries that exemplify the seriousness of land degradation in the region as described in the Regional Implementation Annex for Central and Eastern Europe, of the Convention. UNDP Ukraine will assist the Government of Ukraine in strengthening its capacity building to meet Ukraine’s obligations under the UN Convention to Combat Desertification, adoption of National Action Program to combat desertification and land degradation, distribution of the information on issues of desertification and land degradation in Ukraine, raising of public awareness, introduction the resources-saving technologies, conducting the trainings and seminars for authorities, private sector, including farmers, NGOs, etc.

The biodiversity of the Carpathians is unique, rich, and threatened. Ukraine's National Biological Diversity Conservation Strategy (NBDCS), identifies the Carpathian Mountains as one of the country's most unique and biologically diverse areas, and accord the region a high priority in terms of species richness, presence of rare and endemic taxa, and overall biodiversity importance. The Ukrainian Carpathian Mountains are found at the heart of the "European-Mediterranean Montane Mixed Forest", which is among the WWF's Global 200 Ecoregions. The region is characterized by unusually rich and diverse flora and fauna driven in part by the many different habitat types occurring in overlapping altitudinal belts of vegetation types. The activity will be focused on the conservation of the globally significant biodiversity of Ukraine's Carpathian region, to mainstream biodiversity conservation in Ukraine's forest sector by assisting the Government to transform Soviet era forestry and land management practices. The new forest sector policies and practices established will be consistent with the dynamics of a market economy, the values of democratic governance that UNDP is helping to establish in the Ukraine, and the principles of biodiversity conservation and sustainable use embodied in the Convention on Biological Diversity, to which Ukraine is a Party.

Harmonization of Ukrainian practices with EU environmental legislation standards, and guidelines are essential in view of the objective of integration. This is being achieved through application of international experiences in pollution control, promotion of bottom-up initiatives in communities and regions, and development of environmentally sound practices. integrated ecosystems management, waste management, and ecotourism.

Sustainable development is an integral part of UNDP in Ukraine’s primary goal of poverty alleviation, as a healthy environment can allow for a healthier society, both physically and psychologically, and thus develop confidence in individuals to take charge in developing their communities and hence, reduce poverty.

Global Climate change, ozone depletion, loss of biodiversity, land degradation and access to clean and affordable energy services are global concerns, but cannot be addressed without attention to their implementation at the local level, and with special attention to their relationship with poverty and gender concerns. UNDP will assist Ukraine in strengthening its capacity to address these challenges at global, national and community levels, seeking out and sharing best practices, providing innovative policy advice and linking partners through pilot projects that help poor people build sustainable livelihoods. Effective management of natural resources and environmental protection are essential to preserve life-supporting biological systems, and will help to improve the quality of life and reduce poverty in Ukraine.

As in any part of the world, there is a real challenge of maintaining proper sustainable development and environmentally friendly practice combined with human development and economic growth. This is a fine balance that must be mastered, as a healthy environment is a prerequisite to maximizing quality of life, and UNDP is continuing to prioritize sustainable development in Ukraine.