First Meeting of the Conference of the Parties to the Framework Convention on the Protection and Sustainable Development of the Carpathians - COP1

The Carpathians are one of Europe's largest mountain ranges, shared by seven Central and Eastern European countries. The Carpathian Convention provides this mountain region with the framework for cooperation and multi-sectoral policy coordination, a platform for joint strategies for sustainable development, and a forum for dialogue between all stakeholders. The United Nations Environment Programme Vienna – Interim Secretariat of the Carpathian Convention (UNEP Vienna ISCC) is shortly to convene the First Meeting of the Conference of the Parties to the Framework Convention on the Protection and Sustainable Development of the Carpathians - COP1 (Kyiv, Ukraine, 11-13 December 2006). The meeting aims to adopt rules of procedure and financial rules of the Carpathian Convention, as well as to discuss its programme of work, its cooperation with other conventions and international bodies and the preparation of the ‘Carpathian Declaration’. The meeting will also see the launch of the new World Wildlife Fund (WWF) project to support Protected Areas across the Carpathian Mountains, as well as the new Biodiversity Initiative of the Mountain Partnership.