1. UNECE Aarhus Convention Secretariat
Eighth meeting of the Aarhus Convention Capacity-Building Coordination framework
UNECE Aarhus Convention Secretariat
Geneva
16 December 2013

2. Focus areas for capacity-building
Access to justice
Access to information and electronic information tools
Public participation in in decision-making
Genetically modified organisms
Public participation in international forums
Implementation guide:
English – pdf in January 2014 and printed version by the end of February 2014
Russian – by June 2014
Simplified Guide – printed version before MoP5&MoPP2

3. Access to justice Supporting multi-stakeholder national dialogues
e.g. in the form of round tables;
focus: standing, remedies and costs;
target groups: judiciary, prosecutors, public interest lawyers and other legal professionals;
Assisting in improving legislation
Assisting in providing information on access to judicial and administrative review as well as court decisions
Material to support capacity-building activities:
Relevant findings of the Compliance Committee of a systemic nature
Analytical studies and jurisprudence database developed under auspices of the Task Force on Access to Justice
Implementation Guide and Simplified Guide
Implementation guide:
English – pdf in January 2014 and printed version by the end of February 2014
Russian – by June 2014
Simplified Guide – printed version before MoP5&MoPP2

4. Access to information and electronic information tools
Trainings
focus: scope of environmental information; access to environment-related health information; environmental information held by other authorities, product-related environmental information and application of electronic information tools
Target groups: civil servants of local and regional authorities; ministries other than responsible for environmental protection; non-governmental organizations and local communities
Facilitating dissemination of the priority types of information identified in Decision II/3
Assisting in establishing Aarhus (web) national nodes
Material to support capacity-building activities:
Relevant findings of the Compliance Committee of a systemic nature
Recommendations on the more effective use of electronic information tools to provide public access to environmental information (Decision II/3)
Summary report on the assessment of the implementation of the above mentioned recommendations (AC/TF.AI-2/Inf.2)
Implementation Guide and Simplified Guide

5. Public participation in decision-making
Trainings
Focus: projects, plans and programmes, legislation&regulations;
Target groups: civil servants of local and provincial authorities; relevant ministries, especially others than responsible for environmental protection; developers, non-governmental organizations and local communities
Assisting in improving legislation
Assisting in developing e-participation tools and improving access through Internet to information related to the decision-making procedure (especially EIA, SEA, permitting and licenses as well as state environmental expertiza)
Material to support capacity-building activities:
Relevant findings of the Compliance Committee of systemic nature
Draft Recommendations on Public Participation in Decision-making in Environmental Matters
Aarhus good practice database (PPDM)
Implementation Guide and Simplified Guide

6. Genetically modified organisms
Strengthen coordination and cooperation between national focal points of the Aarhus Convention and the Cartagena Protocol on Biosafety
Assist in preparing documents for ratification of the GMO amendment
Priority countries: Albania, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Georgia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Malta, the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, Turkmenistan and Ukraine
Develop a list of key measures required for implementing the GMO amendment to the Convention, the Lucca Guidelines and the Cartagena Protocol
National round-tables and trainings
Material to support capacity-building activities:
GMO amendment to the Aarhus Convention
Lucca Guidelines on access to information, public participation and access to justice with respect to genetically modified organisms
Report and material of the round-table (Geneva, October 2013)
Implementation Guide and Simplified Guide

7. Public participation in international forums
Trainings
Target groups: national focal points of the relevant international forums and non-governmental organizations
Assist in developing the national action plan on PPIF
Material to support capacity-building activities:
Almaty Guidelines promoting the application of the principles of the Convention in international forums
List of international forums (in Eng, Fre and Rus)
Compendium of the case studies (in Eng)
Checklist of measures to be borne in mind when developing national action plans on PPIF (in Eng)
Outcomes of the PPIF sessions at WGP
Implementation Guide and Simplified Guide
Aarhus good practice database (PPIF)
Leaflet on PPIF to be released in February 2014

8. Contact: public.participation@unece.org
Thank you!
Contact: