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Eighth meeting of the Task Force on Public Participation in Decision-making under the Aarhus Convention

Public Participation

08 - 09 October 2018

Salle XXVII, Palais des Nations Geneva Switzerland

The eighth meeting of the Task Force on Public Participation in Decision-making was held on 8 to 9 October 2018 in Geneva (Palais des Nations, Building E (door 40), Salle XXVII).

The Task Force discussed items of a systemic nature on ensuring effective public participation, namely: (i) meaningful and early public participation; (ii) the availability of all relevant documents to the public; (iii) effective notification and time frames for public participation; and (vi) ensuring that greater account is taken of the comments from the public in the final decisions, and ensuring the appropriate provision of feedback on how the public’s comments have been taken into account in the decisions.

The Task Force also discussed issues related to the protection of persons exercising their rights in conformity with the provisions of the Convention and held a thematic session on product-related decision-making and chemicals. In addition, the meeting provided an opportunity to share experiences on the use of the Maastricht Recommendations on Promoting Effective Public Participation in Decision-making in Environmental Matters (ECE/MP.PP/2014/2/Add.2).

Meeting documents, statements and presentations delivered at the meeting are below. Read more about the meeting in news article here

Documents

Document title	ENG	FRE	RUS
Provisional Agenda (AC/TF.PP-8/Inf.1)	PDF
List of speakers (AC/TF.PP-8/Inf.1/Add.1)	PDF
Report	PDF	PDF	PDF
Key outcomes of the meeting (AC/TF.PP-8/Inf.7)	PDF
List of Participants	PDF
For all agenda items
Maastricht Recommendations on Public Participation in Decision-making	PDF	PDF	PDF
Aarhus Good Practice
Item 2. Ensuring effective public participation
Selected relevant resources (AC/TF.PP-8/Inf.2)	PDF
Overview of the implementation of articles 6, 7 and 8 of the Aarhus Convention (AC/TF.PP-8/Inf.3)	PDF
Selected considerations, findings and reports of the Compliance Committee relating to effective public participation (AC/TF.PP-8/Inf.4)	PDF
Item 3. Protection of persons exercising their rights in conformity with the provisions of the Convention
Overview of the implementation of article 3, paragraph 8, of the Aarhus Convention (AC/TF.PP-8/Inf.5)	PDF
Selected considerations, findings and reports of the Compliance Committee relating to the implementation of article 3, paragraph 8, of the Aarhus Convention (AC/TF.PP-8/Inf.6)	PDF

Statements and Presentations

Document Title	ENG	RUS
Item 2. Ensuring effective public participation
(i) Meaningful and early public participation
Facilitator: Mr. Dmytro Skrylnikov (member of the Aarhus Convention Compliance Committee)	PDF
Mr. Massimo COZZONE, Ministry for the Environment, Land and Sea, Italy	PDF
Ms. Emilia LIASKA, Hellenic Society for the Protection of the Environment and the Cultural heritage	PDF
(ii) The availability of all relevant documents to the public
Effective public participation: a new platform to access to environmental information and data in France Ms. Aurélie GUILLEMOT, Ministry for an Ecological and Solidary Transition, France	PDF
EIA Registry in Ukraine - new opportunities for effective public participation Ms. Galyna SIEROVA, Aarhus Centre Kyiv, Ministry of Environment and Natural Resources, Ukraine	PDF
The public participation in EIA and SEA in Belarus, the Republic of Moldova and Ukraine - trends and lessons Ms. Tamara MALKOVA, ICO “Green Dossier”, Eastern Partnership Civil Society Forum	PDF
(iii) Effective notification and time frames for public participation
Effective notification and time frames for public participation related to specific activities – the Swedish system Ms. Anna BERGLUND, Ministry of the Environment and Energy, Sweden	PDF
(iv) Ensuring that greater account is taken of the comments from the public in the final decisions, and ensuring the appropriate provision of feedback on how the public’s comments have been taken into account in the decisions
Example of Romania Ms. Elena DUMITRU, Permanent Mission of Romania to the United Nations and other International organisations in Geneva	PDF
Lessons learned from the application of the European Union SEA Directive Mr. Plamen PEEV, Bluelink Foundation	PDF
Item 3: Protection of persons exercising their rights in conformity with the provisions of the Convention
(i) Introduction
Article 3, paragraph 8, of the Aarhus Convention Mr. Jonas EBBESSON, Chair of the Compliance Committee	PDF
NGOs perspective on systemic challenges encountered Mr. Yves LADOR, Earthjustice	PDF
(ii) Experiences of Parties and stakeholders
Effective Public Participation in Decision-making from Latvian Perspective Ms. Marta OSLEJA, Ministry of Environmental Protection and Regional Development, Latvia	PDF
Promoting safe and effective public participation without persecution and harassment Mr. Kanybek ISABAEV, Information Aarhus Centre, Osh, Kyrgyzstan		PDF
The International Code of Conduct for Private Security Providers’ Association Mr. Jamie WILLIAMSON, International Code of Conduct Association	PDF
(iii) Mechanisms and tools
United Nations Special Procedures: Protection of Environmental Human Rights Defenders Mr. Jamshid GAZIYEV, United Nations Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights	PDF
Environmental Rights Initiative Ms. Eva DUER, United Nations Environment Programme	PDF
Aarhus Convention compliance mechanism needs a tool to deal with issues of environmental activists persecution Mr. Siarhei MAHONAU, Ecohome	PDF
Item 4: Thematic focus: chemicals and product related decision-making
Case study from Serbia Ms. Gordana PETKOVIC, Ministry of Environmental Protection, Serbia	PDF
Case study from Georgia Ms. Nino GOKHELASHVILI, Ministry of Environmental Protection and Agriculture, Georgia	PDF
NGOs perspective Ms. Anke STOCK, Women Engage for a Common Future	PDF
Item 5: Maastricht Recommendations on Promoting Effective Public Participation in Decision-making in Environmental Matters
Promoting Maastricht recommendations in the Republic of Kazakhstan Ms. Natalya DAULETYAROVA, Ministry of Energy, Kazakhstan	PDF