17th Meeting of the Carpathian Convention Implementation Committee
7-8 September 2026 | Vienna, Austria
The 17th meeting of the Carpathian Convention Implementation Committee took place in Vienna, Austria on 7-8 September 2026.
The Carpathian Convention Implementation Committee (CCIC) acts as a monitoring body and is responsible for preparing political decisions for the Conference of the Parties. The 17th meeting of the CCIC provided updates on the progress made since the 16th CCIC meeting held 2-3 December 2025 in Belgrade, Serbia. The meeting’s primary objective was to prepare for the 8th Meeting of the Conference of the Parties to the Carpathian Convention (CC COP8), to be held on 1–4 December 2026, including the negotiation of CC COP8 decisions and the finalization of all relevant documents.
REGISTRATION
The 17th meeting of the CCIC is open for participation by Member States and observers. Registration is now closed.
All registrations must be submitted online via the INDICO registration system. Please note that:
- Registration will require the creation of an INDICO account for first-time users
- The review and verification process of the registration to the CCIC meeting is not automatic and may take a few days, depending on the volume of registrations received
- Approved participants will receive an email notification with a confirmation from the INDICO portal, which is used to finalize the registration process when arriving at the United Nations Office at the Vienna International Centre in person and for collecting badges
- The registration link will take you to both the online and in-person registration forms
PRESENTATIONS
Cooperation between the BRS Conventions and the Carpathian Convention – Marylene Beau, BRS Secretariat
Science-Policy-Practice Interface Inputs – Jakub Csabay, Comenius University Bratislava; Mariana Melnykovych, Bern University of Applied Sciences, Switzerland; Joanna Zawiejska, University of the National Education Commission, Krakow
The Joint Carpathian Lynx Strategy, including a short overview of the “Range-wide Strategy for the Rescue and Conservation of the Balkan Lynx (Lynx lynx balcanicus) 2026–2035 – Iskra Stojanova, UNEP Vienna
Carpathian Network of Protected Areas (CNPA) – Mircea Verghelet, CNPA SC Chair
NaturaConnect project: Building a resilient ecological network of conserved areas across Europe for nature and people – presentation of final considerations – Hildegard Meyer, WWF CEE
Inputs from UNIDO on cooperation with the Carpathian Convention: “Green Industrial Recovery through Municipality-Based Development in Ukraine” – Solomiya Omelyan, Chief, Regional Bureau for Europe and Central Asia, and Giorgi Todua, Industrial Development Expert, UNIDO
Inputs from Romanian ICH Expert and Coordinator of the Multinational Extension File: “Transhumance – the seasonal droving of livestock” – Ioana Baskerville, Romanian Academy – Iasi Branch
Towards a Carpathian Pastoralist Declaration – Ioana Baskerville, Romanian Academy – Iasi Branch
Inputs from S4C on supporting river connectivity and restoration in the Carpathians – Joanna Zawiejska, University of the National Education Commission, Krakow; Gabriela-Adina Moroșanu-Mitoșeriu, Institute of Geography of the Romanian Academy
Monitoring Compliance in the Alpine and Carpathian Conventions – Wolfger Mayrhofer, Former Deputy Secretary General and legal consultant, Permanent Secretariat of the Alpine Convention
– Compliance review options to be considered for the Carpathian Convention – facilitated discussion
BACKGROUND DOCUMENTS
DECISION COP7/1 Implementation of the Carpathian Convention
- Carpathian Biodiversity Framework
- Carpathian Biodiversity Framework Implementation Plan 2027-2035
- CARPATHIAN LIFE Info Note
- Ministerial Declaration of the Carpathian Convention on the impact of war in Ukraine on the environment and the need for cooperation and assistance
- Set of measures – support to Ukraine within the Carpathian Convention
DECISION COP7/2 Cooperation with regional and local authorities and all relevant stakeholders
- Joint Strategy for Community-Led Sustainable Development of Mountain Areas in Central Europe and the Final Refinement of the Joint Strategy
- Alpine-Carpathian Toolbox for Participation in Central European Mountain Areas
- Policy recommendations supporting transnational and cross-border cooperation in mountain regions
DECISION COP7/5 Cooperation with other conventions and international bodies
- Proposal for a Concerted Action for the Eurasian Lynx (Lynx lynx) Proposed for Listing on Appendix II of the CMS Convention
- Proposal for the Inclusion of the Eurasian Lynx (Lynx lynx) in Appendix II and Balkan Lynx (Lynx lynx balcanicus) in Appendix I of the CMS Convention
DECISION COP7/6 Implementation of the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework
DECISION COP7/8 Strengthening science-policy-practice interface and cooperation with scientific networks
- S4C Research Agenda 2030
- Recommendations from the Science for the Carpathians (S4C) to the Carpathian Convention
- Recommendations from the Student Conference on Conservation Science for the Carpathian Convention
- ProBioTIC project documents:
DECISION COP7/9 Conservation and sustainable use of biological and landscape diversity
- 15th WG Biodiversity – Meeting Final Agenda
- 15th WG Biodiversity – Meeting Report
- 16th WG Biodiversity – Meeting Final Agenda
- 16th WG Biodiversity – Meeting Report
- International Action Plan on Conservation of Large Carnivores and Ensuring Ecological Connectivity in the Carpathians
- Proposal for a Concerted Action for the Eurasian Lynx (Lynx lynx) Proposed for Listing on Appendix II of the CMS Convention
- Proposal for the Inclusion of the Eurasian Lynx (Lynx lynx) in Appendix II and Balkan Lynx (Lynx lynx balcanicus) in Appendix I of the CMS Convention
- WG Biodiversity Work Plan 2024- 2026
- Report from the Joint Conference of Alpine and Carpathian Conventions for Exchange of Practices on Management of Large Carnivores
- Thematic Guidance on monitoring harmonisation developed by the LECA project
- Thematic Guidance on conflict prevention developed by the LECA project
- Thematic Guidance on poaching investigations developed by the LECA project
- Policy brief for the Carpathian Convention – Building the Trans-European Nature Network (TEN-N) in the Carpathian Region
- Learning Platform with a few modules elaborated on TEN-N, stakeholder engagement and Nature Future Frameworks – a capacity building hub of the NaturaConnect project.
- NaturaConnect Stakeholder Community – an initiative that brings together the perspectives and ideas of a diverse community of people involved in the design of a plan for a Trans European Network of Natural Protected and Connected Areas.
- The study “Review and Synthesis of Best Practices in Governance and Land-use Policies to Implement TEN-N” highlights the Danube–Carpathian region as one of six case study areas.
- A series of factsheets has been published to support the development of the Trans-European Nature Network (TEN-N), offering a comprehensive overview of public and private funding opportunities for protected areas and ecological connectivity across Europe.
- Guidelines for connectivity conservation and planning in Europe with supporting web-based inventory and databases
- Science brief for policy and decision-makers on exploring scenarios for the expansion of the Trans-European Nature Network (TEN-N)
- Policy support tools for TEN-N implementation
- Report on network problem formulations, targets and preferences, including guidance and data on targets and optimal TEN-N design criteria.
- Macro- policy recommendation “Regional improving planning and coordination frameworks to harmonise various level water and climate policies”
DECISION COP7/13 Sustainable Forest Management
- WG Forest Work Plan 2023 – 2026
- 10th WG Forest Meeting Final Agenda
- 10th WG Forest Meeting Report
- Assessment of climate change risks and adaptation options for the Carpathian forest ecosystems and their services
- Inventory of Virgin Forests
- Criteria and indicators for identifying quasi-virgin forests
- Memorandum of Cooperation between the Secretariat of the Carpathian Convention and the Carpathian Sustainable Tourism Platform (CSTP) Centre Romania
- Central Mountains project documents:
DECISION COP7/16 Cultural Heritage and traditional knowledge
DECISION COP7/19 Awareness raising, education and public participation
