The fifteenth meeting of the Task Force on Access to Justice took place from 4 April 2023 (afternoon) to 5 April 2023 in Geneva (Palais des Nations, Building E, Salle XVIII).
The Task Force aimed to provide a platform for exchanging information, experiences and good practices with regard to key recent developments in the implementation of the Convention’s pillar on access to justice and possible measures to remove barriers hampering its implementation.
The thematic sessions of the meeting focussed on access to justice in cases related to climate change and biodiversity protection. The Task Force discussed current trends, good practices, barriers, challenges, and innovative approaches in these areas. Furthermore, the delegates continued discussion on access to justice in energy-related cases; took stock of measures removing barriers related to costs, access to assistance mechanisms and timeliness of the review procedures; and learnt about recent and upcoming developments. The Task Force also considered tools to promote effective access to justice such as (a) access to independent environmental expertise; (b) dissemination of information on access to review procedures, collection of relevant data and statistics and access to relevant case law using e-justice initiatives, modern digital technologies and other tools; and (c) multi-stakeholder dialogues to remove existing barriers.
The outcomes of the meeting are expected to support countries’ efforts in the implementation of Sustainable Development Goals, in particular Sustainable Development Goals 13 (Climate action), 14 (Life below water), 15 (Life on land) and 16 (Peace, justice and strong institutions) with its target 16.3 (Promote the rule of law at the national and international levels and ensure equal access to justice for all).
Hashtags for the meeting @UNECEAarhus: #AarhusConvention, #AccesstoJustice, #SDG16.3
The meeting was preceded by 2023 Judicial Colloquium (Geneva, 3-4 (morning) April 2023) for representatives of judiciary, judicial training institutions and other review bodies.
You can learn further information about this meeting in the UNECE news: Enhancing access to justice to tackle climate change and pollution and protect biodiversity
For additional enquiries about the meeting, please contact the secretariat at public.participation[at]un.org (subject line: 15TFAJ request).