Patriarch Alexy II receives UNDP representative On 27 November 1998 Mr. Philippe Elghouayel, UNDP Resident Representative and UNFPA Representative, was granted an audience by Patriarch Alexy II of Moscow and All Russia. Mr. Elghouayel informed His Holiness of the UNDP and UNFPA multi-faceted programmes in the Russian Federation, aimed at helping the country overcome the current transformation period and achieve sustainable human development. The parties also discussed ways and forms of possible mutual cooperation, in particular, in the sphere of human development, environmental protection, |
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| cooperation with NGOs, and others. It was agreed that regular discussions at the working level will be conducted to elaborate concrete proposals for joint projects and activities. | |
Chernobvl fallout studied The Chernobyl disaster has contaminated a lot of areas not only in Ukraine and Belarus, but also in Russia. Today, more than 12 years after the accident, surface and ground water systems in some parts of the Bryansk Region, Central Russia, have to be thoroughly examined for radionuclide content. Recently, a group of researchers from two Russian institutions - NPO Taifoon (RosHydromet) and VSOGIN-GEO (Ministry of Natural Resources) conducted in the region two-month field studies of almost 100 local rivers, reservoirs, boreholes, dug-wells and springs. They also took 200 water and soil samples to determine the content of caesium-127 and stron-tium-90. The work, carried out with the support of local organisations, will continue next year. The $275,000 project, initiated by RosHydromet (Russian Hydrometeorological Service) and the Ministry of Natural Resources and financially supported by UNDP, will evaluate the radio-ecological status of the natural water systems to forecast possible future changes in order to ensure a safe water supply. «The money provided by UNDP helped to buy all the necessary equipment and was decisive in conducting this year's field surveying and monitoring», commented Vladimir Dubinchuk, National Project Coordinator. «We are also grateful to the IAEA for training two project professionals at its Isotope Laboratory in Vienna, Austria», he added. |
EcoCentre assists ecologically sustainable development Opened recently in Moscow's suburbs of Znamenskoye-Sadki, the UNDP EcoCentre has been set up to promote ecologically sustainable development in Russia in close cooperation with the State Committee for Environmental Protection, as well as with other national and international environmental bodies. One of the Centre's main tasks is to provide advisory services for the capacity and institution building in priority areas determined by the Government of the Russian Federation in cooperation with the UNDP. It will also give integrated support for various national and international ecological projects and programmes. The EcoCentre will conduct technical studies and analysis, assist with the training of experts, and help to create information network. «We invite potential partners, especially from remote Russian areas, to participate in the implementation of concrete proposals aimed at sustainable ecological development" says Argo Avakov, UNDP Programme Coordinator.
For more information please call:
(7-095) 423 0322/1301. |