Convention bodies of Aarhus Convention

Meeting of the parties

The Meeting of the Parties is the main governing body of the Convention. It comprises all
Parties to the Convention. In its meetings, other Signatories and other States as well as
intergovernmental and non-governmental organizations participates as observers. The
mandate of the Meeting of the Parties is to keep under continuous review the implementation
of the Convention and take the necessary measures required to achieve the purposes of the
Convention.
Bureau
The Bureau of the Meeting of the Parties was elected at the sixth session of the Meeting of
the Parties in Budva, Montenegro, held from 11 to 14 September 2017. In accordance with
rule 22, paragraph 2, of the rules of procedure, "the Bureau shall invite a representative of
non-governmental organizations established for the purpose of, and actively engaged in,
promoting environmental protection and sustainable development ... to attend bureau
meetings as an observer."
Working Group of the Parties to the Aarhus Convention
The Working Group was set up by the Meeting of the Parties at its first session (October
2002) by virtue of decision I/14.The Working Group is established to oversee the
implementation of the work programme and furthermore to prepare the meetings of the
Parties; oversee and direct the activities of subsidiary bodies established by the Meeting of
the Parties; keep under review the need for amending the Convention; make such proposals
and recommendations to the Meeting of the Parties as it considers necessary for the
achievement of the purposes of the Convention; and undertake any other duties as
requested by the Meeting of the Parties. It is the officers and the Bureau of the Meeting of
the Parties who serve also as officers and Bureau for the Working Group.
Compliance Committee
Article 15 of the Aarhus Convention on review of compliance, requires the Meeting of the
Parties to establish "optional arrangements of a non-confrontational, non-judicial and
consultative nature for reviewing compliance with the provisions of the Convention".
Following this obligation, the Meeting of the Signatories established a Working Group to
prepare such a mechanism. At its first session (October 2002), the Meeting of the Parties
adopted decision I/7 on review of compliance (ENG FRE RUS) and elected the first
Compliance Committee.
The Parties regularly address issues of compliance, on the basis of the Committee's reports.
At the Committee's recommendation, they adopt decisions on general issues of compliance
and also decisions on compliance by individual Parties.
The compliance mechanism may be triggered in four ways:
(1) a Party may make a submission about compliance by another Party;
(2) a Party may make a submission concerning its own compliance;
(3) the secretariat may make a referral to the Committee;
(4) members of the public may make communications concerning a Party's compliance with
the convention.
The Task Force on Access to Justice:
(a) provides a platform for sharing of information, experiences and good practices related to
access to justice (through e.g. collection and dissemination of relevant practices and
establishment of portal for the relevant jurisprudence);
(b) plans and implements strategic and catalytic capacity-building activities and information
exchange, in particular for senior members of the judiciary at the subregional level;
(c) Considers means of facilitating training of trainers on access to justice in environmental
matters;
(d) Develops training materials on implementation of article 9 of the Convention that are
adaptable to national priorities and the needs of specific groups of legal professionals;
(e) Examines the way the issue of remedies is handled in a selection of representative
countries;
(f) Continues the exchange of information and analytical work on criteria for standing;
(g) Continues the exchange of information on practices in establishment of assistance
mechanisms to remove or reduce financial barriers;
(h) Considers practical arrangements for increasing support for public interest lawyers and
strengthening the capacities of non-governmental organizations;
(i) Identifies good practice with respect to ensuring that sufficient scientific and technical
expertise is available to review bodies dealing with environmental cases;
(j) Continues exploring the potential use of alternative dispute resolution mechanisms as a
means to further the objectives of the Convention;
(k) Encourages the involvement of representatives of ministries of justice, the judiciary, other
legal professionals, including public interest lawyers and non-governmental organizations
specializing in litigation and legal advice on environmental matters, in its activities;
(l) Carries out such other tasks related to access to justice as the Working Group of the
Parties may assign to the Task Force;
(m) Presents the results of its work for consideration and appropriate action by the Working
Group of the Parties.
Task Force on Public Participation in Decision-making
The Task Force is working to improve the implementation of the Convention's provisions on
public participation, including through sharing expertise and good practices, developing
recommendations, strengthening civil society and building capacity for public authorities and
other stakeholders.
The Task Force is also working to identify common problems in implementing the
Convention's provisions on public participation and make possible solutions available to
interested Parties and other stakeholders.
The Task Force on Access to Information:
(a) Continues strengthening implementation of the Convention's provisions on access to
information, including through promoting exchange of information, experiences, challenges
and good practices concerning public access to information on the matter. It also addresses
the issue of accessibility of product information and environmental information held by private
sector;
(b) Strives to identify capacity-building needs, barriers and solutions;
(c) Continues monitoring and supporting the implementation of the recommendations in
decision II/3 (ENG FRE RUS) on electronic information tools and collecting relevant case
studies;
(d) Continues monitoring technical developments, and, where appropriate, contribute to other
initiatives relevant to electronic access to information, electronic public participation in
decision-making and electronic access to justice in environmental matters;
(e) Continues contributing to further development of the Aarhus Clearinghouse for
Environmental Democracy and PRTR.net.
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REFERENCES :
1)UNECE Official Web Site :
https://unece.org/environment-policypublic-participation/convention-bodies
2)European Commission Official Web Site : https://ec.europa.eu/environment/aarhus/
3)  Bell, D.R. (2004). Barry, J. , Europe, globalization and sustainable development. New
York: Routledge
4) "United Nations Treaty Collection". Treaties.un.org. Retrieved 8 July 2021.
5)  Rodenhoff, Vera (2003). "The Aarhus convention and its implications for the 'Institutions'
of the European Community". Review of European Community and International
Environmental Law. 11 (3): 343–357.