Western Balkans Environment Programe

UNDP Montenegro under the umbrella of the Western Balkans Environmental Programme is organizing a Regional Expert Meeting that will take place on November 18^th-19^th in Budva, Montenegro. The Expert Meeting will host the environmental experts from six countries/ territories involved in the Western Balkans Environmental Programme (Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, FYR Macedonia, Montenegro, Serbia and UNATSCR 1244 Kosovo), programme beneficiaries and partners such as representatives of the national and local governments, management authorities of the remediated sites, civil society organizations, etc., as well as representatives of the donor community who are interested to fund activities in this area.

UNDP Montenegro organized in frame of the Western Balkan Environmental Programme for 2009 a study tour to Slovak Republic from 25^th- 31^st October. The subject of the study tour was “Learning from Slovak experience in environmental management and remediation of priority mine sites”. Participants on the study tour were mining experts from six countries/ territory: Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, FYR Macedonia, Montenegro, UNATSCR1244 Kosovo and Serbia. The host organization in Slovakia was the Comenius University in Bratislava, with Mr. Peter Sottnik and Mrs. Bronislava Lalinska acting as project manager and project assistant from their side.

Regional Environmental Monitoring and Field Surveillance training was held on May 6th–7th at the Hotel Iberostar Bellevue Bečići, in Budva, Montenegro.

Participants in the Western Balkan Environmental Monitoring and Field Surveillance workshop were practitioners involved in conducting, planning or assessing environmental monitoring and field surveillance as well as stakeholders from six countries/ territories involved in the Western Balkan Environmental Programme (Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro, Serbia, the FYR of Macedonia, and UNATSCR 1244, Kosovo). The purpose of the workshop was to present a regional snapshot of the participating countries/territories in relation to the environmental monitoring and field surveillance conducted and needed, and to provide participants with further skills through training in environmental monitoring and provision of tools and resources.