The Meeting of the Parties
Working Group of
the Parties to the Aarhus Convention
Bureau of the Meeting of the Parties
Compliance
Committee
Working Group on Genetically Modified Organisms
Working Group on Pollutant Release and Transfer
Registers
Task Force on Access to Justice
Task
Force on Electronic Information Tools
Task Force
on Financial Arrangements
Task
Force on Public Participation in International Forums
Long Term Strategic Planning
Public Participation in Strategic Decision-making
Convention bodies
The
governing body of the Aarhus Convention is the Meeting
of
the Parties, which meets every 2-3 years to
review progress in
the ratification and implementation
of the Convention and
decide on future work under
its auspices through adopting a
work programme. In
the period between meetings of the
Parties, the Working
Group of the Parties oversees the
implementation
of the work programme. The Working Group
meets at
least once a year. The Bureau
of the Meeting of the
Parties serves also as the
Bureau of the Working Group. A
Compliance
Committee has been established to address
issues
of alleged non-compliance with the Convention.
The
first meeting of the Parties also established five
other
working groups or task forces to work on specific
issues:
Working Group on Genetically Modified Organisms
Working Group on Pollutant Release and Transfer Registers
Task Force on Access to Justice
Task Force on Electronic Information Tools
TaskTask Force on Financial Arrangements
In November
2003, the Working Group of the Parties decided to
establish an Expert Group on Public
Participation in
International Forums to consider
the scope, format and
content of possible guidelines
on promoting the application of
the principles of
the Aarhus Convention in international
environmental
decision-making processes.
In May 2005, the second Meeting of the Parties established a
Task Force on Public Participation in International Forums and new Task Force on Access to Justice, and extended the
mandate of the Task Force on Electronic Information Tools.
All
these bodies are serviced by the Secretariat of the
Aarhus Convention.