Vienna – The Regional Cooperation Council (RCC) and the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) signed a Letter of Intent today in Vienna, establishing a framework for enhanced cooperation to support South East Europe (SEE) in advancing regional environmental and climate priorities.

The Letter of Intent was signed by the RCC Secretary General Amer Kapetanović and Arnold Kreilhuber, UNEP Regional Director and Representative for Europe.

The Letter of Intent sets the foundation for joint action in tackling the region’s key environmental challenges - climate change, pollution, and biodiversity loss - through coordinated regional efforts. It outlines areas of future collaboration such as depollution, circular economy, climate adaptation, biodiversity conservation, and sustainable tourism, with a focus on ensuring a just and inclusive green transition. Activities carried out under this framework will be aligned with the RCC Strategy and Work Programme (SWP) 2026–2028, the Green Agenda for the Western Balkans (GAWB) Action Plan 2021–2030, and the South East Europe 2030 Strategy, ensuring coherence with both regional and global sustainability commitments. The cooperation will build on the RCC’s role in coordinating and monitoring the implementation of the Green Agenda for the Western Balkans, and on UNEP’s expertise in environmental governance, science-based policy advice, and global programme frameworks.