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Twenty-sixth meeting of the Working Group of the Parties to the Aarhus Convention

Twenty-sixth meeting of the Working Group of the Parties to the Aarhus Convention

22 - 23 June 2022
Salle XVIII, E building, Palais des Nations, Geneva, Switzerland

The twenty-sixth meeting of the Working Group of the Parties and the third extraordinary session of the Meeting of the Parties to the Convention on Access to Information, Public Participation in Decision-making and Access to Justice in Environmental Matters (Aarhus Convention) took place back-to-back in Geneva on 22-24 June 2022 (Palais des Nations). The meetings were held in an in-person format.  

The Working Group reviewed the progress in implementing the current work programme and discussed a number of items, including progress achieved in promoting access to information, public participation and access to justice, and in ratification of the Convention's amendment on genetically modified organisms; financial matters; and promotion of the Convention and relevant developments and interlinkages. Two thematic sessions, on access to information and on promoting the application of the principles of the Convention in international forums, were held during the meeting. They were organized in the format of an interactive panel discussion followed by a general discussion: 

  • The thematic session on access to information focused on advancing public access to environment-related product information, including on: (a) public access to product information and digitalization; (b) public access to product information and measures against greenwashing; and (c) means to encourage operators to inform the public (eco-labelling, eco-auditing, environmental, social and governance solutions). Subjects for discussion were based on decision VII/1 on promoting effective access to information (ECE/MP.PP/2021/2/Add.1), adopted by the Convention’s Meeting of the Parties at its seventh session (Geneva, 18–21 October 2021), and the key outcomes of the work of the Task Force on Access to Information.
     
  • The thematic session on the promotion of the principles of the Convention in international forums focused on legally binding instruments: (a) on plastics (e.g., with regard to the marine environment and air pollution); and (b) on business and human rights, covering States’ obligations with regard to the responsibility of business actors under their jurisdiction. Additional topics included updates on subjects considered by the Working Group of the Parties at its twenty-fifth meeting (Geneva, 3 May and 7–8 June 2021), namely, promotion of the principles of the Convention in processes under the Convention on Biological Diversity, with the focus on the post-2020 global biodiversity framework, and in international forums in the context of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic. Subjects for discussion were based on decision VII/4 on promoting the application of the principles of the Convention in international forums (ECE/MP.PP/2021/2/Add.1), adopted by the Meeting of the Parties at its seventh session, and the key outcomes of the previous thematic sessions.

Documents, statements and presentations for the meeting delivered at the event can be found below. For additional information, please read article on the meetings

 

Meeting outcomes and Report

29492 _ ECE/MP.PP/WG.1/2022/2 - Report _ 372196 _ English _ 773 _ 381868 _ pdf
29492 _ ECE/MP.PP/WG.1/2022/2 - Report _ 372196 _ French _ 780 _ 381869 _ pdf
29492 _ ECE/MP.PP/WG.1/2022/2 - Report _ 372196 _ Russian _ 864 _ 381870 _ pdf
29492 _ List of decisions and outcomes, as adopted _ 369067 _ English _ 773 _ 357696 _ pdf

Pre session documents

25873 _ ECE/MP.PP/WG.1/2022/1 - Provisional Agenda _ 366211 _ English _ 773 _ 351512 _ pdf
25873 _ ECE/MP.PP/WG.1/2022/1 - Provisional Agenda _ 366211 _ French _ 780 _ 351513 _ pdf
25873 _ ECE/MP.PP/WG.1/2022/1 - Provisional Agenda _ 366211 _ Russian _ 864 _ 351514 _ pdf
25873 _ ECE/MP.PP/WG.1/2022/3 - Item 3 (c): Report of the Task Force on Access to Justice on its fourteenth meeting _ 368497 _ English _ 773 _ 380403 _ pdf
25873 _ ECE/MP.PP/WG.1/2022/3 - Item 3 (c): Report of the Task Force on Access to Justice on its fourteenth meeting _ 368497 _ French _ 780 _ 380404 _ pdf
25873 _ ECE/MP.PP/WG.1/2022/3 - Item 3 (c): Report of the Task Force on Access to Justice on its fourteenth meeting _ 368497 _ Russian _ 864 _ 380405 _ pdf
25873 _ ECE/MP.PP/WG.1/2022/4 - Item 7: Report on the implementation of the work programmes for 2018–2021 and 2022–2025 _ 366644 _ English _ 773 _ 352546 _ pdf
25873 _ ECE/MP.PP/WG.1/2022/4 - Item 7: Report on the implementation of the work programmes for 2018–2021 and 2022–2025 _ 366644 _ French _ 780 _ 352547 _ pdf
25873 _ ECE/MP.PP/WG.1/2022/4 - Item 7: Report on the implementation of the work programmes for 2018–2021 and 2022–2025 _ 366644 _ Russian _ 864 _ 352548 _ pdf

List of participants

32303 _ List of Participants _ 370575 _ English _ 773 _ 361869 _ pdf

Thematic session on PPIF

Background information on work area on promoting the principles of the Convention in international forums is available from: https://www.unece.org/env/pp/ppif.html

 

Documents, Statements and Presentations

Provisional Programme for the thematic session (AC/WGP-26/Inf.2)


PDF
Item 1: Plastics
 

Ms. Brenda Koekkoek, Programme Manager, Circle of Excellence on Plastic Pollution, UNEP


PDF

Ms. Helga Matos, Counsellor, Permanent Mission of Portugal to the United Nations and Other International Organizations in Geneva 


PDF
Mr. Andrés del Castillo, Center for International Environmental Law/European ECO Forum PDF
Letter to the INC Plastic Pollution Secretariat from the Center for International Environmental Law (CIEL), the International Pollutants Elimination Network (IPEN) and the Environmental Investigation Agency (EIA), (submitted after the meeting)  PDF
Discussion
 

Ms. Beate Ekeberg, Ministry of Climate and Environment, Norway

PDF
Item 2: Business and Human Rights
 

Ms. Nathalie Stadelmann, Human Rights Officer, Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights 


PDF

Mr. François Gave, Special Representative for Corporate Social Responsibility and the Social Dimension of Globalization, Ministry of Europe and Foreign Affairs, France


PDF

Ms. Attracta Uí Bhroin, Environmental Law Officer, Irish Environmental Network/European ECO Forum


PDF
Item 4: General discussion
 

Ms. Nino Gokhelashvili, Ministry of Environmental Protection and Agriculture, Georgia

PDF

Thematic session on Access to Information

 

Documents, Statements and Presentations

ENG

FRE

RUS

Provisional Programme of the Thematic Session (AC/WGP-26/Inf.1) PDF    
Item 2 : Keynote introductory presentation
     

Mr. Stefan Jensen, Digitalisation and Data Governance, European Environment Agency

PDF

 

 

Item 3: Panel discussion

 

 

 

Ms. Charlotta Von Troil, Senior Ministerial Advisor, Legislative Affairs, Ministry for the Environment, Finland

PDF

 

 

Mr. Rade Ostojić, Head, Group for Standards and Cleaner Production, Ministry of Environmental Protection, Serbia

PDF

 

 

Ms. Elisabeth Tuerk, Director, Economic Cooperation and Trade, United Nations Economic Commission for Europe

PDF
PDF

 

 

Ms. Regina Taimasova-Bumbaca, Advisor, Division of Inclusive and Sustainable Trade, International Trade Center

PDF

 

 

Ms. Emma Pagliarusco, Youth and Environment Europe and the European ECO Forum

PDF

 

 

General Discussion
     

Statement by France


 

PDF
 

Statement by Georgia


PDF
   
Statement by Switzerland PDF    

Statement by United Kingdom

PDF

 

 

Statement by the  European Environmental Bureau on behalf of the European ECO Forum

PDF

 

 

NGO European ECO Forum/European Citizen Science Association PDF    
Statement by Eco-Tiras, on behalf of the European ECO Forum PDF    

Statements for items 3 b - 3 d, 4, 5 and 7

Statements and Presentations

ENG

FRE

RUS

Item 1: Opening of the meeting and adoption of the agenda
     
European Union PDF    
NGO European ECO Forum/European Enviornmental Bureau PDF    
Item 3 (b): Public participation in decision-making
     
NGO European ECO Forum/Oekobuero PDF    
NGO European ECO Forum/Irish Environmental Network PDF    
NGO European ECO Forum on behalf of Environment People Law PDF    
NGO European ECO Forum/ Khazer Ecological and Cultural NGO PDF    
Item 3 (c): Access to justice
     
Chair of the Task Force on Access to Justice PDF    
Justice Marie Baker, Supreme Court of Ireland PDF    
European Union PDF    
NGO European ECO Forum/Justice & Environment PDF    
NGO European ECO Forum/European Environmental Bureau PDF    
Item 3 (d): Genetically modified organisms
     
Armenia PDF    
Kazakhstan     PDF
Tajikistan     PDF
NGO European ECO Forum / Eco-TIRAS International Association of River Keepers PDF    
Item 4 (a): Compliance mechanism
     
Chair of the Compliance Committee PDF    
European Union PDF    
NGO European ECO Forum/Justice & Environment PDF    
Item 4 (c): Capacity-building and awareness-raising
     
OSCE PDF    
Kazakhstan    

PDF

PDF

European ECO Forum/Youth and Environment Europe PDF    
Item 5: Accession by non-United Nations Economic Commission for Europe member States and other relevant developments and interlinkages related to the promotion of the Convention
     
Guinea-Bissau   PDF  
NGO GDVR   PDF  
Item 7: Implementation of work programmes for 2018–2021 and for 2022–2025, including financial matters
     
European Union PDF    
Switzerland PDF    
NGO European ECO Forum/Justice & Environment PDF