The Joint Expert Group of the Water and Industrial Accidents Convention, in accordance with its Strategy adopted by the Bureau to the Industrial Accidents Convention and endorsed by the Meeting of the Parties to the Water Convention, is activated on a specific subject. In 2010, the two Bureaux of the Water and Industrial Accidents Conventions endorsed the proposal to develop a checklist/methodology for harmonized contingency planning for accidents with potential impacts on transboundary watercourses and assigned this task to the Joint Expert Group.

The objective of the document is to help to establish/facilitate the review by UNECE countries of procedures and requirements for crisis management and contingency planning so that in the event of an accident with effects on transboundary waterways response actions could be taken in a harmonized way by neighbouring countries.

The expert group is expected to discuss important issues in crisis management and contingency planning, including procedures, requirements as well as challenges faced during its first meeting in Geneva on 31 May 2011. On the basis of the above discussions the group will decide which issues and aspects should be addressed and how in the checklist/methodology and prepare the first draft of the document.

An important event under the Water and Industrial Accidents Conventions joint activities will be the workshop on the occasion of the twenty-fifth anniversary of the Sandoz accident to be held on 8 and 9 November 2011 in Bonn, Germany. This workshop, organized under the leadership of Germany, represents an opportunity to reflect on the work carried out and progress achieved in this period in the area of prevention of accidental water pollution and aims at:

·       identifying existing deficits in prevention of water pollution by chemical substance in UNECE region, and

  .      discussing on the way forward to address these deficiencies.