From 28 to 30 April 2025, Edgar Tokar, Director of the Department of Nature Conservation and Protected Areas of the Ministry of Environmental Protection and Natural Resources of Ukraine, and directors of Ukrainian Carpathian national parks paid an official visit to Bratislava (Slovakia) at the invitation of the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) – Secretariat of the Carpathian Convention and the head of the UN Environment Office in Vienna, Harald Egger.
Representatives of the Ministry of Environmental Protection and Natural Resources took part in the 10th meeting of the Working Group of the Carpathian Convention on Sustainable Forest Management, which took place on 28-29 April 2025 at the Research Institute of Water Resources in Bratislava. The meeting participants discussed best practices in forest management in the Carpathian region and ways to implement nature conservation measures in Carpathian forests. Particular attention was paid to opportunities for supporting the Ukrainian Carpathians through international programmes and projects, in particular the Carpathian LIFE SNaP programme.
The meeting also discussed the potential for Ukraine to chair the Carpathian Convention during 2026-2029 and its readiness to lead official and expert meetings of the Convention and initiate the implementation of its provisions. The Head of the UN Environment Office in Vienna, Harald Egger, expressed his full support for Ukraine during this difficult time.
Also, on 29 April, a working meeting of the Ukrainian delegation with State Secretary of the Ministry of the Environment of the Slovak Republic Štefan Kufa and Director General of the Nature and Landscape Protection Department Kamil Kysela took place at the Ministry of the Environment of the Slovak Republic. During the meeting, the Ukrainian side learned about the experience of Slovak colleagues in the field of protection and preservation of natural reserve objects, implementation of grant projects, recreational activities and forest restoration. The prospects for joint participation of Ukraine and Slovakia in cross-border cooperation programmes and opportunities for exchange of experience between national nature parks of both countries were also discussed.
The participation of representatives of the Ministry of Environmental Protection and Natural Resources in the meeting of the Working Group of the Carpathian Convention and the meeting with Slovak colleagues is an important step in strengthening international cooperation in the field of environmental protection and confirms Ukraine’s readiness to actively participate in the implementation of environmental initiatives at the regional level.
Ministry of Environmental Protection and Natural Resources of Ukraine
