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MEPIELAN E-Bulletin is a digital academic and practitioner newsletter of the MEPIELAN Centre, launched in 2010.  It features insight articles, reflective opinions, specially selected documents and cases, book reviews as well as news on thematic topics of direct interest of MEPIELAN Centre and on the activities and role of MEPIELAN Centre. Its content bridges theory and practice perspectives of relational international law, international environmental law and participatory governance , and international negotiating process, thus serving the primary goal of Centre: to develop an integrated, inter-disciplinary, relational, context-related and sustainably effective governance approach creating, protecting and advancing international common interest for the present and future generations. Providing a knowledge- and information-sharing platform and a scholarly forum, the Bulletin promotes innovative ideas and enlightened critical views, contributing to a broader scholarly debate on important issues of international common interest. The audience of the Bulletin includes academics, practitioners, researchers, university students, international lawyers, officials and personnel of international organizations and institutional arrangements, heads and personnel of national authorities at all levels (national, regional and local), and members of the civil society at large.

Public Participation in Environmental Governance

Second Meeting of the Task Force on Public Participation in Decision-Making

July 30, 2012

The Second Meeting of the Task Force on Public Participation in Decision-Making was held from 6 to 8 June 2012 in Geneva, Switzerland. The Meeting was organised under the auspices of the Task Force on Public Participation in Decision-Making of the Aarhus Convention and the Meeting of the Parties to the Protocol on Water and Health*, 1999, in cooperation with the Ministry of Environment and Forests of Romania and Women in Europe for a Common Future (WECF). Experts from countries from the UNECE region and representatives from international organisations attended the Meeting.

The Meeting covered a wide range of issues regarding public participation in environmental decision-making with a special focus on decision-making on water and health-related matters. Furthermore, the participants’ discussions focused on the development of new recommendations, currently being prepared under the Aarhus Convention on public participation regarding environmental matters, and the new guidelines/manual for involving the public in consultations and decision-making processes being prepared under the Protocol on Water and Health.

With respect to new recommendations, the participants reviewed and provided valuable input on the Draft Recommendations on Improving Implementation of the Provisions of the Convention on Public Participation in Decision-Making. Regarding the new guidelines/manual for involving the public in consultations and decision-making processes, participants’ consultations focused on the Draft Outline for the Guidelines on Public Participation under the Protocol on Water and Health prepared by Women in Europe for a Common Future (WECE) in cooperation with the UNECE Secretariat. This draft outline responds to the Decision by the Meeting of the Parties to the Protocol on Water and Health in November 2010 to provide assistance to Parties in the implementation of articles 9 and 10 of the Protocol and promote public participation, in particular to establish targets in accordance with article 6 of the Protocol.

Note

* The Protocol on Water and Health is part of the Convention on the Protection and Use of Transboundary Watercources and International Lakes, 1992 (The UNECE Water Convention). It aims to protect human health and well being by better water management, including the protection of water ecosystems, and by preventing, controlling and reducing water-related diseases. It is the first international agreement of its kind adopted specifically to attain an adequate supply of safe drinking water and adequate sanitation for everyone, and effectively protect water used as a source of drinking water. Parties to the Protocol commit to set targets in relation to the entire water cycle. Finally, this Protocol introduces a social component into cooperation on water management linking social and economic development to the protection of natural ecosystems.

Source: UNECE
For further information:
http://www.unece.org/env/pp/meetings/tfppdm2_pwh.html
http://www.unece.org/env/water/pwh_text/text_protocol.html

About the author

MEPIELAN Centre
Author's Website

MEPIELAN Centre is an international research, training and educational centre established by Professor Evangelos Raftopoulos at the Panteion University of Athens in 2008.

Before its establishment as a University Centre, MEPIELAN operated as a successful international research, training and informational programme (2002-2007) under the scientific direction of Professor Evangelos Raftopoulos and the aegis of the Panteion University of Athens, supported by the Mediterranean Action Plan/UNEP and the Greek Ministry of the Environment, Physical Planning and Public Works.

MEPIELAN Centre is an accredited UNEP/MAP PARTNER (since 2013), a Member of the Mediterranean Commission on Sustainable Development (MCSD) (since 2016), and a Member of the Steering Committee of the MCSD (since 2019).

On 22 May 2022, MEPIELAN Centre proceeded to the development of MEPIELAN as a Non- Profit Civil Organization (INGO) for the more effective and efficient advancement of its Goals and Missions and furtherance of its activities. MEPIELAN Centre as a Non- Profit Civil Organization (INGO) is registered in Greek Law (Hellenic Business Registry, Reg. No. 16477300100) in accordance with Laws 4072/2012 & 4919/2022 as applicable

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