The fifth 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 in Maastricht, the Netherlands, from 30 June 2014 to 2 July 2014, at the kind invitation of the Government of the Netherlands. The meeting venue was the Maastricht Exhibition and Conference Centre (MECC). The fifth session was held back to back with the second session of the Meeting of the Parties to the Protocol on Pollutant Release and Transfer Registers (Protocol on PRTRs) (3-4 July 2014) and the joint High-level Segment of the two Meetings (2 July 2014).
The event provided a platform for Parties, Signatories, international organizations, civil society and other stakeholders to discuss achievements and challenges in promoting a wide range of topics, including access to information, public participation in decision-making and access to justice in environmental matters.
As the international community embarks on charting the way for an ambitious post 2015 development agenda with new Sustainable Development Goals, the Convention and its Protocol on Pollutant Release and Transfer Registers already provide an essential framework for Governments to effectively engage different stakeholders in decision-making, thereby offering solutions to truly sustainable governance.
At the session the Parties discussed global promotion of the Convention and agreed on a number of decisions to guide their implementation in the next intersessional period, including future strategic plan and work programme.
In the same meeting venue, the fifth session of the Meeting of the Parties to the Convention was preceded by:
Please note below categories of documents:
1. Post-session documents
2. In-session documents
3. Documents prepared in advance for the session:
- Category I (official documents for possible action)
- Category II (official background documents, for instance on implementation and compliance and national implementation reports)
- Category III (other documents relevant to the agenda)
4. Intersessional documents of relevance to the agenda (also Category II)
5. Documents distribution policy
6. Statements
The Maastricht Declaration: Transparency as a driving force for environmental democracy (ECE/MP.PP/2014/27 Add.1-ECE/MP.PRTR/2014/2 Add.1) along with all other relevant statements and documents can be accessed at the page of the Joint High-level Segment under the Meetings of the Parties to the Aarhus Convention and its Protocol on PRTRs (Maastricht, Netherlands, 2 July 2014).