The seventeenth meeting of the Working Group of the Parties to the Aarhus Convention was held on 26-28 February 2014 in Geneva (Palais des Nations, Salle XIX). The Working Group reviewed the progress in implementing the current work programme and discussed a number of items in preparation for the fifth ordinary session of the Meeting of the Parties, including:

■Draft outline of declaration to be adopted by the Meetings of the Parties’ of the Aarhus Convention and Protocol on PRTRs;
■Draft decisions on future strategic plan 2015-2020 and on future work programme 2015-2017;
■Draft decisions on access to information, public participation and access to justice;
■Draft decision on financial arrangements; and
■Agenda for the fifth ordinary session of the Meeting of the Parties.

Furthermore, the meeting featured a thematic session on promoting the application of the principles of the Convention in international forums. The programme for the session is available on the meeting's website.

Prior to the seventeenth meeting of the Working Group of the Parties a meeting of the Task Force on Access to Justice was organized from 24-25 February 2014 in Geneva.