The agreement between the Ministry of the Environment and EURAC, together with other international partners, such as UNEP/ROE and REC, has contributed to the shaping of a further international convention for the sustainable development of a transboundary mountain area: i.e. the Carpathian Convention, which was signed in Kiev in 2003 and has entered  into force since January 2006. The Carpathian Convention is supported by an Interim Secretariat, at UNEP, in Vienna.

The IMA Coordination Unit has played a fundamental co-ordination role within the Alpine- Carpathian partnership that has led to the Carpathian Convention. In the light of the lessons learned during the Alpine Convention negotiations, the Unit has provided the experts from the Carpathian Countries with all its technical-scientific support.

The Unit, in collaboration with the other EURAC institutes, has played a key role in the process that has eventually led to the drafting of the Carpathian Convention and it has hosted a series of  meetings that have allowed the involved Countries to agree upon the Convention. The first meeting "Sharing the Experience" was held in Bolzano in June 2002, with the active participation of the Carpathian countries, then followed by a further meeting held in March 2003 (see proceedings).

In order to facilitate the implementation of the Carpathian Convention, the IMA Coordination Unit has developed the so-called Umbrella Project, i.e. a project funded by the Italian Ministry of Environment, in conjunction with other partners, such as EURAC, UNEP and REC. The commitment and work done by the Unit in this area have led to the signing of a memorandum of understanding between EURAC and UNEP, as a clear evidence of the fruitful co-operation between the two partners.