MINISTRY OF THE ENVIRONMENT    Warsaw, 17 June 2008     On 17-18 June 2008, Bucharest, Romania, hosts the High Level Segment  of the Second Conference (COP 2) of the Parties to the Carpathian Convention        During the debates, Dr Maciej Trzeciak Under-Secretary of State, Ministry of the Environment, is to deliver presentation on the achievements attained and perspectives faced by the Carpathian Process in order to emphasise the importance of the cooperation between the central authorities of the Parties to the Convention, involvement of and cooperation between the relevant central and regional authorities and other stakeholders active in the field of the protection and sustainable development of the Carpathians, and the need to promote the Convention among the general public and decision-makers, as well as to present it as a sound instrument to improve the quality of life of the inhabitants of the Carpathians Region.  The Protocol on Biological and Landscape Diversity was so far agreed upon under the Convention that enables for successful actions to be implemented in this field. During the Bucharest meeting, Dr Maciej Trzeciak will endorse the need to strengthen cooperation for the sake of the soonest possible coming into force of the Protocol that will provide for achievement of the "2010 Target", i.e. halting the tempo of decline in biological diversity.   The Framework Convention on the Protection and Sustainable Development of the Carpathians (The Carpathian Convention) was signed on 22 May 2003 in Kiev, Ukraine, by Environmental Ministers of the Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland, Romania, Serbia and Montenegro, Slovak Republic and Ukraine. The Convention provides framework for cooperation and multi-sectoral policy coordination, a platform for joint strategies for sustainable development, and a forum for dialogue between all stakeholders involved in the protection and sustainable development of the Carpathians. About 140 participants took part to its First Conference of the Parties that was held on 11-13 December 2006 in Kiev. The Ministers adopted the Carpathian Declaration and the Memorandum of Understanding on cooperation with the Alpine Convention, the Ramsar Convention, and the Executive Secretariat of the Central European Initiative.