Manual for Task Managers

Purpose

This manual explains the context in which a task manager works. It is a compilation of references to steering documents and procedures of relevance for preparation of products in the Programmes of Work for the main Committees.

Roles

  • The OSPAR Commission adopts Decisions and Recommendations and the annual updates of the Programmes of Work.
  • The Group of Jurists and Linguists (JL) examinesany draft Decisions and Recommendations from the Committees and prepares legal and linguistic advice on these draft measures before they are sent to the OSPAR Commission
  • Committees adopt Other Agreements with no budgetary consequences for OSPAR and publications of technical or scientific nature (see also point 6) and prepare a proposal for the annual update of the Programmes of Work.
  • Working groups and Intersessional Correspondence groups (ICGs) advise the respective main Committees.
  • ICGs are established for specific tasks for one intercession, with terms of reference agreed by parentCommittees and published in the summary records of the Committee meetings.

Steering documents

1.The OSPARConvention

The OSPAR Convention for the protection of the marine environment of the North-East Atlantic was adopted in 1992 merging the 1972 Oslo Convention on dumping and the1974 Paris Convention on pollution from land-based sources. It entered into force in 1998.

The obligations are described in its Annexes:

Annex I on the prevention and elimination of pollution from land-based sources

Annex II on the prevention and elimination of pollution by dumping or incineration

Annex III on the prevention and elimination of pollution from offshore sources

Annex IV on the assessment of the quality of the marine environment

Annex V on the protection and conservation of the ecosystems and biological diversity of the maritime area

2.OSPAR Strategies

The thematic strategies of the OSPAR Commission for the Protection of the Marine Environment of the North-East Atlantic set objectives and guide the work of the Commission (Agreement 2010-03):

Biodiversity and ecosystems;

Eutrophication

Hazardous substances

Offshore oil and gas industry

Radioactive substances

The Strategy for the Joint Assessment and Monitoring Programme(Agreement 2014-02)

3.Rules of procedure

The work of the OSPAR Commission is governed by the Rules of Procedure (Agreement 2013-02).

These rules describe,among other things, the role of the subsidiary bodies (such as main committees, working groups, ICGs), the preparation of documents including decisions and recommendations, collection and release of data.

4.ToR for the Committees

The functions of the main committees are described inAgreement 2011-04.

5.Work programmes

The Programme of Work (WP) for the main committees details the various products (who is doing what and when) of the Committee in the near future (maximum 10 years ahead). It includes plans for implementation reporting, review of measures, review of background documents. For each product there is a reference to where to find the description of the task. If no task manager has been identified, the Head of Delegation to the Committee is entered as default.

WPs are updated annually by the main Committees and adopted by the OSPAR Commission. The OSPAR Commission may add or amend the proposals from the Committees. The adopted programmes are published as annexes to the OSPAR Summary Record.

Procedures

6.Decisions, Recommendations and Other Agreement

The OSPAR Secretariat keeps an updated list of OSPAR measures, available on the website under programmes and measures. The list includes an overview of reservations, if any. Following the review by OSPAR 2010 of applicability of OSPAR measures, the updated list will also include an overview of the status of implementation reporting.

The procedure for Committees to decide on issues of a technical or scientific nature and to adopt "other agreements" that have no budgetary consequences for OSPAR is presented in Agreement 2000-17.

OSPAR Decision 98/1 Concerning the Status of Decisions and Recommendations and Other Agreements Adopted under the Former Oslo Convention and Paris Convention within the Framework of the OSPAR Convention lists measures revoked when OSPAR entered into force.

Measures which after the review by OSPAR 2010 are defined as no longer applicable will be kept in a separate list on the website.

7.Preparation of background documents and measures

The Guidelines for the Preparation of Draft OSPAR Background Documents and Draft OSPAR Measures (Agreement 2004-1) specifies the language to be used for preparation of decisions, recommendations and background documents and outlines elements to be included in these products.

The procedures for the development, publication and review of OSPAR background documents on hazardous substances identified for priority action are described in Agreement 2003-26.

8.Implementation reporting

Most OSPAR Decisions and Recommendations contain a requirement for implementation reporting, both on compliance and effectiveness. For some measures, effectiveness reporting is covered by annual data reporting systems.

Unless the timing of reporting is specified in the measure, the procedures described in the OSPAR's Standard Implementation Reporting and Assessment Procedure (SIRAP) applies (Agreement 2003-23). The SIRAP describes the contents of implementation reports and overview assessments and timing and termination of implementation reporting.

The national reports are complied by the Secretariat and forwarded to the lead country tasked with preparing an overview assessment, which is published on the website alongside the measure.

9.Annual data reporting

OSPAR collects annually a number of data streams (such as offshore discharges, dumping, radioactive discharges). Reporting formats are on the website (work area/theme/reporting/annual reporting). The data are made available on the website as publications. With regular intervals (every 2 or 3 years) these data are assessed for trends and the assessments are published.

10.Publications

Procedure for publication of OSPAR reports (Agreement 2001-13)

11.Working procedures for workshops

This agreement describes procedures for national workshops, OSPAR workshops and the Secretariat's participation in these (Agreement2000-18).

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OSPAR Commission (p:/basic documents/manual for task managers/05/08/2015 – update: BM