Joint OSCE-UNEP mission to assess environmental impacts of conflict in Georgia

TBILISI, 30 September 2008 - A joint OSCE-United Nations Environmental Programme (UNEP) mission is in Georgia this week to assess the environmental impact of the recent conflict in Georgia and offer confidence-building recommendations.

The five-day mission, which ends Friday, is led by the Co-ordinator of OSCE Economic and Environmental Activities, Bernard Snoy, and the UNEP Regional Director for Europe, Christophe Bouvier.

"The objective of the mission is to listen to the widest possible range of views on the environmental impact of the conflict. We hope to provide recommendations to remedy identified environmental issues including possible confidence-building measures," said Snoy.

The joint undertaking will provide a general assessment of priority environmental matters resulting from the conflict, highlighting links to human security. The assessment mission will build upon the findings of another Joint Assessment Mission recently conducted by the World Bank, the European Union, and the United Nations Development Programme.

The OSCE-UNEP mission will assess the damage caused by fire, including in the Borjomi-Kharagauli National Park and adjacent forested areas. It is seeking access to all the zones that have been affected by the conflict including the so-called "Security Zone" with a view to assessing the extent of environmental damage there.

Meetings with high-level Georgian government representatives and technical experts from government ministries, international organizations and civil society are planned. The team, which will be assisted by the OSCE Mission to Georgia, will draw upon the expertise of technical consultants from the United Nations Environmental Programme and of the Director of the Global Fire Monitoring Centre and Co-ordinator of the UN-International Strategy for Disaster Reduction (ISDR) Global Wildland Fire Network.

The OSCE-UNEP mission will prepare a report summarizing the findings and recommendations for the OSCE Chairman-in-Office and UNEP.