Terms of Reference of the Expert Group on Environmental Performance
A. Membership
1. The Expert Group should comprise 10 to 14 members, with due consideration to geographical balance among the countries in the region.
2. It is suggested that, when new members are chosen, due regard should be given to experts from countries that have recently been reviewed as well as to those that have undergone or soon will undergo second reviews.
B. Terms of reference
3. The UNECE Committee on Environmental Policy renews the mandate of the ad hoc UNECE Expert Group on Environmental Performance for a period of two years to:
(a) Carry out the expert review process prior to the peer review to be undertaken by the Committee on Environmental Policy;
(b) Provide guidance to the UNECE secretariat and the Committee on all substantive and organizational matters arising in the implementation of the UNECE programme of environmental performance reviews (EPRs); and
(c) Assist the UNECE secretariat in coordinating the UNECE EPR programme with processes under way in other international institutions that have a bearing on it, inter alia, the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), the World Health Organization (WHO), the World Bank, the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD), the Asian Development Bank and the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development’s (OECD) environmental performance review programme and its work in Eastern Europe, the Caucasus and Central Asia.
4. The guidance of the Expert Group to UNECE and the Committee will include:
(a) Identification of opportunities and requirements for improving the conduct of the EPRs;
(b) Assessment of environmental trends relevant to the EPR process in countries in transition, including the organization of regional and subregional joint meetings, seminars and workshops, where these are demand-driven;
(c) Review and improvement of the data and information used for the EPRs;
(d) Proposals on how to improve the adoption of the recommendations contained in the EPR country reports and their implementation.
5. The EPR Expert Group is elected by the Committee on Environmental Policy upon the recommendation of the Bureau. The secretariat will invite international institutions pursuing related work to participate in the work of the EPR Expert Group.
6. The EPR Expert Group determines its rules of procedure in accordance with the relevant provisions of its terms of reference and elects its chair.
7. The EPR Expert Group will report annually on its activities to the Committee on Environmental Policy, and may raise any issue with the Committee that it deems necessary for the implementation of its mandate.