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Eighth meeting of the Task Force on Public Participation in Decision-making under the Aarhus Convention

08 - 09 October 2018
Salle XXVII, Palais des Nations Geneva Switzerland

The eighth meeting of the Task Force on Public Participation in Decision-making was held on 8 to 9 October 2018 in Geneva (Palais des Nations, Building E (door 40), Salle XXVII).


The Task Force discussed items of a systemic nature on ensuring effective public participation, namely: (i) meaningful and early public participation; (ii) the availability of all relevant documents to the public; (iii) effective notification and time frames for public participation; and (vi) ensuring that greater account is taken of the comments from the public in the final decisions, and ensuring the appropriate provision of feedback on how the public’s comments have been taken into account in the decisions.


The Task Force also discussed issues related to the protection of persons exercising their rights in conformity with the provisions of the Convention and held a thematic session on product-related decision-making and chemicals. In addition, the meeting provided an opportunity to share experiences on the use of the Maastricht Recommendations on Promoting Effective Public Participation in Decision-making in Environmental Matters (ECE/MP.PP/2014/2/Add.2).

Meeting documents, statements and presentations delivered at the meeting are below. Read more about the meeting in news article here

Documents

Document title ENG FRE RUS
Provisional Agenda (AC/TF.PP-8/Inf.1) PDF    
List of speakers (AC/TF.PP-8/Inf.1/Add.1) PDF    
Report PDF PDF PDF
Key outcomes of the meeting (AC/TF.PP-8/Inf.7) PDF    
List of Participants PDF    
For all agenda items      
Maastricht Recommendations on Public Participation in Decision-making PDF PDF PDF
Aarhus Good Practice      
Item 2. Ensuring effective public participation      
Selected relevant resources (AC/TF.PP-8/Inf.2) PDF    
Overview of the implementation of articles 6, 7 and 8 of the Aarhus Convention (AC/TF.PP-8/Inf.3) PDF    
Selected considerations, findings and reports of the Compliance Committee relating to effective public participation (AC/TF.PP-8/Inf.4) PDF    
Item 3. Protection of persons exercising their rights in conformity with the provisions of the Convention      
Overview of the implementation of article 3, paragraph 8, of the Aarhus Convention (AC/TF.PP-8/Inf.5) PDF    
Selected considerations, findings and reports of the Compliance Committee relating to the implementation of article 3, paragraph 8, of the Aarhus Convention (AC/TF.PP-8/Inf.6) PDF    

Statements and Presentations

Document Title ENG FRE RUS
Item 2. Ensuring effective public participation      
(i) Meaningful and early public participation      
Facilitator: Mr. Dmytro Skrylnikov (member of the Aarhus Convention Compliance Committee) PDF    
Mr. Massimo COZZONE, Ministry for the Environment, Land and Sea, Italy PDF    
Ms. Emilia LIASKA, Hellenic Society for the Protection of the Environment and the Cultural heritage PDF    
(ii) The availability of all relevant documents to the public      
Effective public participation: a new platform to access to environmental information and data in France
Ms. Aurélie GUILLEMOT, Ministry for an Ecological and Solidary Transition, France
PDF    

EIA Registry in Ukraine - new opportunities for effective public participation
Ms. Galyna SIEROVA, Aarhus Centre Kyiv, Ministry of Environment and Natural Resources, Ukraine

PDF    
The public participation in EIA and SEA in Belarus, the Republic of Moldova and Ukraine - trends and lessons
Ms. Tamara MALKOVA, ICO “Green Dossier”, Eastern Partnership Civil Society Forum
PDF    
(iii) Effective notification and time frames for public participation      
Effective notification and time frames for public participation related to specific activities – the Swedish system
Ms. Anna BERGLUND, Ministry of the Environment and Energy, Sweden
PDF    
(iv) Ensuring that greater account is taken of the comments from the public in the final decisions, and ensuring the appropriate provision of feedback on how the public’s comments have been taken into account in the decisions      
Example of Romania
Ms. Elena DUMITRU, Permanent Mission of Romania to the United Nations and other International organisations in Geneva
PDF    
Lessons learned from the application of the European Union SEA Directive Mr. Plamen PEEV, Bluelink Foundation PDF    
Item 3: Protection of persons exercising their rights in conformity with the provisions of the Convention      
(i) Introduction      
Article 3, paragraph 8, of the Aarhus Convention
Mr. Jonas EBBESSON, Chair of the Compliance Committee
PDF    
NGOs perspective on systemic challenges encountered
Mr. Yves LADOR, Earthjustice
PDF    
(ii) Experiences of Parties and stakeholders      
Effective Public Participation in Decision-making from Latvian Perspective
Ms. Marta OSLEJA, Ministry of Environmental Protection and Regional Development, Latvia
PDF    
Promoting safe and effective public participation without persecution and harassment
Mr. Kanybek ISABAEV, Information Aarhus Centre, Osh, Kyrgyzstan
    PDF
The International Code of Conduct for Private Security Providers’ Association
Mr. Jamie WILLIAMSON, International Code of Conduct Association
PDF    
(iii) Mechanisms and tools      
United Nations Special Procedures: Protection of Environmental Human Rights Defenders
Mr. Jamshid GAZIYEV, United Nations Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights
PDF    
Environmental Rights Initiative
Ms. Eva DUER, United Nations Environment Programme
PDF    
Aarhus Convention compliance mechanism needs a tool to deal with issues of environmental activists persecution
Mr. Siarhei MAHONAU, Ecohome
PDF    
Item 4: Thematic focus: chemicals and product related decision-making      
Case study from Serbia
Ms. Gordana PETKOVIC, Ministry of Environmental Protection, Serbia
PDF    
Case study from Georgia
Ms. Nino GOKHELASHVILI, Ministry of Environmental Protection and Agriculture, Georgia
PDF    
NGOs perspective
Ms. Anke STOCK, Women Engage for a Common Future
PDF    
Item 5: Maastricht Recommendations on Promoting Effective Public Participation in Decision-making in Environmental Matters      

Promoting Maastricht recommendations in the Republic of Kazakhstan
Ms. Natalya DAULETYAROVA, Ministry of Energy, Kazakhstan

PDF