#1Welcome Guinea-Bissau Opening a New Dimension for the Aarhus Convention J MOP 7 Side Event - Finn Robin Schufft Aarhus Convention secretariat 15 October 2021 UNECE#2Acceding to the Aarhus Convention as a non-UNECE country o Article 19 (3) of the Convention: "Any other State .. That is a Member of the United Nations may accede to the Convention upon approval by the Meeting of the Parties." 。 Decision IV/5 (MOP 4): "Minimum legal and other appropriate measures required to implement the Convention should be in place, so as to ensure that the State concerned is in a position to comply with its obligations at the time of the entry into force of the Convention for that State." "The Convention Secretariat ... shall provide advisory support to the State concerned, if requested and as appropriate, subject to availability of resources." UNECE#3Acceding to the Aarhus Convention as a non-UNECE country o Article 19 (3) of the Convention: "Any other State .. that is a Member of the United Nations may accede to the Convention upon approval by the Meeting of the Parties." 。 Decision IV/5 (MOP 4): "Upon completion of the internal decision-making process, the State concerned, through the ministry responsible for foreign affairs, shall submit its formal written expression of intention to accede to the Convention to the Meeting of the Parties, ...at least eight months in advance of the next session of the Meeting of the Parties." UNECE#4To be a Party to the Aarhus Convention means... to join an instrument that is "a key contributor to the protection of the environment, human health, and sustainable development" (EU). greater international visibility for a country or region. access to a ready-to-use resource of best international practice on access to information, participation in decision- making, and access to justice in environmental matters. increased opportunities for receiving support from the Convention bodies, but also from other international institutions. UNECE#5To be a Party to the Aarhus Convention means... ... opportunities for cooperation and exchange with other Parties. ... to create a foundation for sustainable economic development and an attractive investment climate. UNECE#6Aarhus Parties are very diverse 。 Some of the countries with the lowest GDPs per capita in the world and some with the highest GDPs 。 A broad range of political and legal traditions, including former Soviet countries and Western democracies 。 Countries with federal systems as well as countries with national governments only 。 Countries concerned with a diverse range of environmental activities and issues (such as mining, oil and gas exploration, nuclear energy, renewable energies...) UNECE#7Ways for interested States to learn more about the Aarhus Convention ○ Participate in the Meetings of the Parties, Working Groups of the Parties and open sessions of the Compliance Committee ○ Take part in meetings of the Convention's Task Forces on: ○ Access to Information O Public participation in decision-making О Access to justice UNECE 。 Make use of the publicly available Aarhus Convention resources, e.g.: Aarhus Convention Implementation Guide Maastricht Recommendations on Promoting Effective Public Participation in Environmental Matters O Relevant findings of Aarhus Convention Compliance Committee 。 Contact the Aarhus Convention secretariat for assistance and recommendations for suitable experts#8For further information please contact: Email: [email protected] Website: www.unece.org/env/pp/welcome Thank you for your attention! O Wikimedia Commons UNECE