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Eleventh meeting of the Task Force on Public Participation in Decision-making

Eleventh meeting of the Task Force on Public Participation in Decision-making

12 - 13 December 2024
Salle XXIV, Building E, Palais des Nations, Geneva Switzerland

The eleventh meeting of the Task Force on Public Participation in Decision-making under the Aarhus Convention was held on 12 and 13 December 2024 in Salle XXIV, Building E, Palais des Nations, Geneva.

The Task Force promoted the exchange of information, case studies and good practices and discussed recent and upcoming developments related to public participation in environmental decision-making. This meeting focussed on the following themes in line with decision VII/2 on promoting effective public participation in decision-making (ENG FRE RUS) as adopted by the Meeting of the Parties at its seventh session (Geneva, 18-21 October 2021):

(a) Participation of groups and people in vulnerable situations in decision-making

(b) Public participation in decision-making in a transboundary context

(c) Public participation in decision-making related to

  • Agriculture and fishery;
  • Oceans, seas, and marine resources; and
  • Climate change
  • Emerging technologies


The agenda and meeting documents is available below. Statements and Presentations made during the meeting will be made available on this web page in due course. Please check this web page regularly.

 

Survey on the participation of groups and people in vulnerable situations in decision-making

The Working Group of the Parties at its twenty-seventh meeting (Geneva, 26-28 June 2023) requested the secretariat to carry out a survey on the issue of participation of groups and people in vulnerable situations in decision-making. Through the survey the Task Force aims to (a) collect good practices and challenges in implementing measures that aim to overcome barriers which prevent groups and people in vulnerable situations to participate in decision-making on environmental matters; and (b) identify suggestions for improvements.

Please note that the survey has been closed.
The results of the survey were shared during the Task Force meeting and helped the secretariat in the preparation for the meeting.

 

 

 

 

Organization of work

The meeting was held in an in-person format. Interpretation in English, French and Russian during the sessions was provided. Online participation was not possible. After considering the relevant elements presented in the report of the Secretary General entitled Pattern of Conferences (A/78/96), the General Assembly did not establish a mandate or provide required guidance on rules of procedures, conditions of service for interpreters, security, authentication and universal access for the continuation of provision of online or hybrid meeting services. In the absence of such a mandate and legislative framework, hybrid and virtual meeting services are no longer being provided by the United Nations Office at Geneva through regular budgetary funds effective 22 January 2024. At the same time, these services, be requested in exceptional circumstances, could be covered through extrabudgetary contributions. However, as of 8 October 2024 such exceptions are no longer granted.

As for all UN public meetings, the meeting could be followed through audio means: https://listen-live.unog.ch/en/index.html

Working hours were as follows:

12 December 2024, 10 a.m. – 1 p.m. and 3–6 p.m. Geneva time

13 December 2024, 10 a.m. – 1 p.m. Geneva time

Each session featured brief introductory presentations sharing experiences of the Parties to the Convention and stakeholders related to the agenda items followed by contributors’ statements and interactive discussion.

Statements

Item 2: Participation of persons and groups in vulnerable situations in decision-making

Panel I
Ms. Katherine Reid, Child Rights International Network/University College Cork

Niamh and Conor, Children and Young People's Assembly on Biodiversity Loss, Ireland (joint video statement) Video transcript

Ms. Aleksandra Radevska, Journalists for Human Rights/Aarhus ECO Forum PDF

Ms. Heidrun Mollenkopf, AGE Platform Europe and Board Member of BAGSO, the German National Association of Senior Citizens' Organisations PDF


Pannel II

Ms. Sabina Ivanovic, Department for Strategic Planning, Ministry of Environmental Protection of Serbia PDF

Ms. Piera Laloux, European Investment Bank PDF

 

Item 3: Public participation in decision-making in a transboundary context

Ms. Helene Masliah-Gilkarov, International Commission for the Protection of the Danube River (ICPDR) (video statement) Video transcript

Mr. Oleg Pecheniuk, Independent Ecological Expertise PA/Aarhus ECO Forum PDF

 

Item 4: Public participation in decision-making on agriculture and fishery

Ms. Nino Gokhelashvili, Sustainable Development Division, Environment and Climate Change Department, Ministry of Environmental Protection and Agriculture of Georgia PDF

Mr. Mário João De Oliveira, Ministry of the Environment, Biodiversity and Climate Action of Guinea-Bissau PDF

Ms. Christiana Mauro, Guta Association/Protect the Future/Aarhus ECO Forum PDF

 

Item 5: Public participation in decision-making on oceans, seas, marine resources

Mr. Francisco Guil Celada, DG Biodiversity, forests and desertification, Ministry for the Ecological Transition and the Demographic Challenge of Spain (video statement) Video transcript

Ms. Raina Ivanova, Heirs to Our Ocean/Aarhus ECO Forum PDF

 

Item 6: Public participation in decision-making on climate change

Ms. Fleur Newman, Action Empowerment Unit, Gender, Children & Youth and ACE

UN Climate Change Secretariat (video statement) Video transcript

Ms. Jasmin Gerber, Federal Department of the Environment, Transport, Energy, and Communications DETEC, Federal Office for the Environment, Switzerland

Mr. Yolbars Kepbanov, Aarhus Centre of Turkmenistan

Ms. Margarida Martins, European Environmental Bureau/Aarhus ECO Forum

 

Item 7: Public participation in decision-making on emerging technologies

Ms. Alison Hough, Environmental Justice Network of Ireland/Aarhus ECO Forum PDF

 

 

 

Documents

Provisional Agenda (AC/TF.PP-11/Inf.1) ENG
Outcomes (AC/TF.PP-11/Inf.5) PDF
Provisional Programme (AC/TF.PP-11/Inf.1Add.1) PDF
Survey on the participation of groups and people in vulnerable situations in decision-making ENG
Selected Considerations, Finding and Reports of the Aarhus Convention Compliance Committee relating to effective public participation (AC/TF.PP-11/Inf.2) ENG
Overview of the implementation of articles 6, 7 and 8 of the Convention (AC/TF.PP/Inf.4)  ENG

For all agenda items:

Decision VII/2 on promoting effective public participation in decision-making, (ECE/MP.PP/2021/2/Add.1) ENG, FRE, RUS

Note by the Chair of the Task Force on Public participation in decision-making on possible future directions for the work (AC/WGP-28/Inf.2) ENG