According to the workplan for the Convention on the Transboundary Effects of Industrial Accidents for 2023-2024, the following activities, including to implement the long-term strategy benefitting all Parties, ECE member States and selected countries beyond the ECE region, are to be implemented during the biennium:
a) Outreach, communication, awareness-raising and strategic partnerships
- Targeted communication (newsletter, press releases, leaflets, postcards, website updates, social media posts, promotion of brochures and online training on industrial accidents and participation in international and regional meetings and forums)
- Working visits, outreach and high-level missions to Parties, non-Parties and other stakeholders
- Meeting with partner organizations to coordinate joint activities, including inter-agency coordination meetings
- Working visits, meetings and communication beyond ECE region
- Participation of Parties and beneficiary countries in these meetings
Supporting body: Bureau and focal points
b) Facilitation of implementation
- Risk assessment: Publication and promotion of risk assessment study, including an overview of risk assessment methods and selected case studies and available software tools, in English, French and Russian
Lead Party: Switzerland
- Linkages with Sendai Framework, SDGs and policy/governance integration: Contributions to meetings and reports on the Sendai Framework and SDGs, national DRR policies/strategies and platforms and United Nations Common Country Assessments and Cooperation Frameworks.
Lead/supporting Parties/organizations: To be determined, in cooperation with UNDRR
- Natech risk management: OECD/United Nations guidance on Natech risk management; seminar report published; Road map of actions by Parties towards more effective Natech risk management and proposals for further actions under the Convention
Lead/supporting Parties/organizations: To be determined, in cooperation with OECD and in partnership with UNEP/OCHA Joint Environment Unit, European Commission Joint Research Centre and OECD Natech Project steering group.
- Land/use planning, sitting and TMF Safety: Maintained and updated information repository and online toolkit and training
- Fostering exchange of information and sharing of experiences: E-group to enable discussions on the Convention’s implementation and exchange of experiences
Lead/supporting Parties/organizations: Sweden, with the support of the Working Group on Implementation
- Risk management in relation to the storage, handling and transport of hazardous substances, such as ammonium nitrate, and related accident prevention, preparedness and response: Web page/information repository on existing legal and policy instruments addressing the risks of ammonium nitrate storage, handling and transport, among other hazardous substances; lessons learned, experiences and good practices; promotional materials (video or brochure); seminar to build capacity in one or several countries (to be confirmed)
Lead/supporting Parties/organizations: with financial support of the European Commission and EIB, in cooperation with ECE Sustainable Transport Division, ILO, IMO, OECD, UNEP/OCHA Joint Environment Unit, UNDRR
- Preventing accidental water pollution: JEG workshop on increasing capacities to prevent, prepare for and respond to accidental water pollution from tailings facilities
Lead and supporting Parties: Slovakia, in cooperation with Finland, Hungary, Rep. Of Moldova, Romania, and Serbia, with financial support from Germany, in cooperation with the Water Convention and river basin commissions, including ICPDR.
c) ECE Industrial Accidents Notification (IAN) System
- Online consultation with Points of Contact and the IAN connectivity test
d) Servicing intergovernmental bodies and expert groups
- Thirteenth meeting of the Conference of the Parties
- Meetings of the Bureau (estimated 4) and its subsidiary small groups on mine tailings safety, Natech and DRR and financing
- Meetings of the Working Group on Implementation (estimated 4)
- Meetings of JEG (estimated 1 and 1 teleconference)
e) General programme management
- Other secretariat activities, including human resources, financial and other management-related functions, administrative actions needed to ensure the functioning of the ECE Industrial Safety Unit and, as part of the ECE secretariat, reporting on substantive and administrative issues.