The ninth meeting of the Task Force on Public Participation in Decision-Making was held on 1-2 March 2021.

Agenda of the meeting and other documents are available below.

The meeting provided a platform for discussing the participation of vulnerable and marginalized groups in decision-making and allowed exchange of practices that facilitate more effective public participation without entailing additional significant resources on the part of public authorities. The thematic focus of the meeting was on decision-making in the extractive industries sector, on energy and climate; and regarding emerging technologies. The Task Force identified good practices, challenges and trends in these areas.

The discussion thereby supported countries efforts in the implementation of environmental dimension of Sustainable Development Goals, in particular Sustainable Development Goal 16 and its target 16.7 (responsive, inclusive, participatory and representative decision-making at all levels) that undergo in-depth review in 2021.

For more information please read a news article about the meeting: Effective and efficient public participation to leave no one behind