2
(am)

Ad Hoc Informal Meeting of the Commission
Focal point: Susan Bartolo,
Tel: +41(0)22 917 14 69

Room VIII, starting at 10 a.m.
The Ad Hoc Informal Meeting will discuss Recommendations of the Group of Experts on the Programme of Work for 2004-2005 budget submission, elect a new Vice-Chairperson, discuss the provisional agenda for the 58th session of the Commission and Operational Activities.

2-6

Sub-Committee of Experts on the Transport of Dangerous Goods
Focal point: Olivier Kervella,
Tel: +41(0)22 917 24 56

Room XII.
ECOSOC subsidiary body serviced by the UNECE secretariat (22nd session).
The Sub-Committee will finalize its work over the biennium 2001-2002. It will review all decisions taken at its 19th, 20th and 21st sessions and will resolve all outstanding issues in particular as regards the carriage of infectious substances, cryogenic gases, ammonium nitrate emulsions and miscellaneous other issues. A working group on the transport of gases will be held in parallel from 2-4 December. The Sub-Committee will also discuss on 3 December the possibility of introducing in the UN Model Regulations on the Transport of Dangerous Goods, security provisions as a response to the international terrorism threat. The Sub-Committee will also elaborate its work programme for the 2003-2004 biennium.
Web site: http://www.unece.org/trans/danger/danger.htm

3

Drafting Group on the Future of the Environment for Europe process
Focal point:  Mikail Kokine,
Tel: +41(0)22 917 23 47

This is the third meeting of a small group that is drafting proposals for both the organizational and substantive future of the EfE process. The draft will be considered by the Working Group of Senior Officials in February 2003. Web site: http://www.unece.org/env/efe/welcome.html

9-11

Joint ECE/Eurostat Work Session on Registers and Administrative Records for Social and Demographic Statistics
Focal point: Paolo Valente,
Tel: +41(0)22 917 33 06

The expected outcome of the meeting is to provide national officials with an opportunity to learn from one another improved methods of overcoming weaknesses in administrative records and registers for purposes of using them for generating official statistics, and to sketch out plans of how the next set of ECE Recommendations for the 2010 round of population and housing censuses should be adapted to make allowance for administrative records and registers being used by interested countries as either an alternative or a supplement to the more traditional census. Web site:
http://www.unece.org/stats/documents/2002.12.registers.htm

9-11 (am)

Sub-Committee of Experts on the Globally Harmonized System of Classification and Labelling of Chemicals
Focal point: Catherine Masson,
Tel: +41(0)22 917 23 56

Room XII
ECOSOC subsidiary body serviced by the UNECE secretariat (4th session).
The 1992 United Nations Conference on Environment and Development (UNCED) called for the elaboration of a globally harmonized hazard classification and compatible labelling system for chemicals, including national safety data sheets and easily understandable symbols. After a decade of on-going and cooperative efforts having involved several international organizations and countries, the so-called GHS system is now ready and will be submitted for adoption to the UN Sub-Committee on Globally Harmonized System of Classification and Labelling of Chemicals at its December 2002 session.

The discussions of the Sub-Committee will also turn around GHS implementation, as requested by the WSSD report which calls countries to implement the GHS as soon as possible with a view to having the system fully operational by 2008.
Web site: http://www.unece.org/trans/danger/danger.htm

10 (pm)-13

Executive Body for the Convention on Long-range Transboundary Air Pollution
Focal point: Keith Bull,
Tel: +41(0)22 917 23 54

The Executive Body will receive reports from its subsidiary bodies and adopt a work-plan for 2003. It will also consider a mechanism for funding core activities, issues of non-compliance by some Parties, and plans to review recent protocols when they enter into force.
Web site: ../../env/lrtap/ExecutiveBody/welcome.html

10 (pm)-
13 (am)

Working Party on Passive Safety (GRSP)
Focal point: Juan Ramos Garcia,
Tel: +41(0)22 917 19 98

The GRSP 32nd session of the body subsidiary to the World Forum for Harmonization of Vehicle Regulations (WP.29) will continue consideration of ISOFIX anchorage's for child restraint systems, as well as of worldwide harmonization concerning pedestrian safety, door retention components, head restraints, side impact dummy, and vehicle crash compatibility. GRSP will also consider a range of amendments to ECE Regulations related to vehicle passive safety requirements, in particular: safety-belts and its anchorages, strength of seats, interior fittings, cabs of commercial vehicles, and restraining of children travelling on buses and coaches. Web site: http://www.unece.org/trans/main/welcwp29.htm

11 (pm)-13

Committee of Experts on the Transport of Dangerous Goods and on the Globally Harmonized System of Classification and Labelling of Chemicals
Focal point: Olivier Kervella,
Tel: +41(0)22 917 24 56

Room XII.
ECOSOC subsidiary body serviced by the UNECE secretariat (First session).
The Committee will consider the work of its two sub-committees over the biennium 2001-2002. It will discuss their work programmes for 2003-2004 in the light of available resources and it should coordinate strategic and policy directions in areas of shared interests and overlap. It should endorse the recommendations made by the two Sub-Committees and prepare a draft ECOSOC resolution which will be submitted to the Economic and Social Council for adoption at its 2003 substantive session.
Web site: http://www.unece.org/trans/danger/danger.htm

13-14
Caserta,
Italy

UNECE International Seminar on E-Government
Focal point: Daewon Choi,
Tel. +41(0)22 917 24 74

The seminar is being organized jointly with SSPA and the Italian Government bringing together senior government officials from ECE region and representatives of major stakeholders involved in the development and implementation of e-government initiatives. This two-day meeting will focus on both conceptual design and practical solutions to establishing interoperability between public administration and ICT. Empirical presentations of selected countries in West and East will be made for Round-Table discussions.

16-18
Tunis, Tunisia

Legal Group of UN/CEFACT
Focal point: Mario Apostolov,
Tel. +41(0)22 91711 34

The meeting will discuss a draft UN Recommendation on the use of Online Dispute Resolution (ODR) and legal aspects of ebXML, which is a new UN standard on electronic business.