United Nations Economic Commission for Europe

UNECE Monthly

United Nations Economic Commission for Europe

CALENDAR OF MEETINGS[1]No. 94 – December 2007

Dates

/ Title /

Comments

/
3-4
Sofia / Aarhus Convention Workshop on Public Participation in Strategic Decision-making
Focal point: Fiona Marshall
Phone: +41 (0) 22 917 4226
E-mail: / This two-day workshop on public participation in strategic decision-making, organized by the Parties to the Aarhus Convention, is intended to provide an opportunity for a broad exchange of views amongst experts of the Aarhus and Espoo Conventions and the Protocol on Strategic Environmental Assessment and interested NGOs. Participants will discuss existing practices for public participation in decision-making on plans, programmes and policies as well as in the preparation of laws and regulations that may have a significant effect on the environment (Articles 7 and 8 of the Aarhus Convention). There will be a strong focus on presenting concrete good practice examples. English will be the working language of the workshop with Russian interpretation and translation of key documents provided.
Website: http://www.unece.org/env/pp/ppsd.htm
3-7 / Sub-Committee of Experts on the Transport of Dangerous Goods
Focal point: Olivier Kervella
Phone: +41 (0) 22 917 2456
E-mail: / The Sub-Committee is a subsidiary body of the Economic and Social Council serviced by the UNECE secretariat. It will consider various proposals concerning the listing and classification of dangerous goods; the issue of harmonization of requirements applicable to the carriage of dangerous goods packed in limited quantities such as consumer products intended for retail sale; electronic data interchange for documentation purposes; carriage of fumigated containers, or containers carrying dry ice as refrigerant; cooperation with IAEA and carriage of radioactive material; and guiding principles for the use of the UN Model Regulations on the Transport of Dangerous Goods
Website: http://www.unece.org/trans/main/dgdb/dgsubc/c3age.html
4-6 / Regional Workshop on International Migration Statistics
Focal point: Enrico Bisogno
Phone: +41 (0) 22 917 1662
E-mail: / Website: http://www.unece.org/stats/documents/2007.12.migration.htm
6
(4-6 p.m.) / Brainstorming Seminar “A Pan-European Perspective for the Economic Integration of South-Eastern Europe (SEE)”
Focal point: Mario Apostolov
Phone: +41 (0) 22 9171134
E-mail: / Room XI.
How a pan-Europe perspective does contribute to economic integration in SEE? How individual countries of the region see their economic future and their development needs? Have the EU, the US and Russia a common approach towards the economic integration of SEE? How the pan-European perspective interacts with, and is complementary to, other bilateral or subregional initiatives? The seminar aims at discussing these issues, and others related to them.
5-7 / COMMITTEE ON ECONOMIC COOPERATION AND INTEGRATION
Focal point(s): Geoffrey Hamilton
Phone: +41 (0) 22 917 2838
Iouri Adjoubei
Phone: +41 (0) 22 917 2488
E-mail: / The second session of the Committee will review the progress made in the implementation of its Programme of Work for 2006-2007, including the conclusions and recommendations resulting from the activities and meetings, which took place after the first session, and discuss its future work. It will also discuss interlinkages between thematic areas and review the progress in the planning and implementation of capacity-building activities.
Website: http://www.unece.org/ceci/docs/secondsession.html
7
(3 p.m.) / Executive Committee
Focal point: Parisudhi Kalampasut
Phone: +41 (0) 22 917 1045
E-mail: / Room IX.
Website: http://www.unece.org/commission/EXCOM/2007/EXCOM_Dec_07_index.htm
7 / Bureau of the UNECE Steering Committee on Education for Sustainable Development (ESD)
Focal point: Angela Sochirca
Phone: +41 (0) 22 917 2064
E-mail: / The fifth meeting of the Bureau will focus on preparing the third meeting of the UNECE Steering Committee on ESD scheduled to take place in Geneva on 5-7 March 2008, including its format and substantive content.
Website: http://www.unece.org/env/esd/welcome.htm
7 / 5th annual Aarhus Convention Capacity Building Coordination meeting
Focal point: Marianna Bolshakova
Phone: +41 (0) 22 917 2650
E-mail: / The meeting brings together representatives of main international organizations implementing capacity-building activities on the Convention in the region. It will focus on capacity building priorities and activities in support of implementing the Convention for the present inter-sessional period (2006-2008). The intention is to jointly review the activities undertaken since the last meeting which took place in December 2006 and consider ongoing and proposed activities with a view to preparing for capacity-building related discussions at the 3rdMeeting of the Parties to the Convention (11-13 June 2008, Riga, Latvia).
Website: http://www.unece.org/env/pp/welcome.html
10-11
Rome
(WHO European Centre for Environment and Health) / 6th Meeting of the extended Bureau for the implementation of THE Transport, Health and Environment Pan-European Programme (THE PEP)
Focal point: Brinda Wachs
Phone: +41 (0) 22 917 2452
E-mail: / THE PEP Bureau will agree on the agenda for the Sixth Meeting of the THE PEP Steering Committee in April 2008 and discuss the preparations for the 3rd High-level Meeting on Transport, Health and Environment, scheduled for autumn 2008. The meeting will be followed by an adhoc meeting with the European Commission Directorates General for Transport (DGTren), Environment (DG Environment), Health and Consumer Protection (DG Sanco) and External Relations (DG Relex). The purpose of THE PEP – EC joint meeting is to promote synergies in policy coordination and sustainable urban transport and contribute to the consultative process on the EU's Green Paper: "Towards a new culture for urban mobility."
Website: http://www.thepep.org/en/welcome.htm
10 (pm)-13 / Executive Body for the Convention on Long-range Transboundary Air Pollution
Focal point: Keith Bull
Phone: +41 (0) 22 917 2354
E-mail: / The twenty-fifth session of the Executive Body will review activities and plan future work. In particular, it is expected to complete a first review of the 1999 Gothenburg Protocol and agree further action for air pollution abatement. It will consider possible revision of the Protocol on Persistent Organic Pollutants and further work to abate heavy metal emissions. It will discuss new guidelines for estimating and reporting emissions and is expected to adopt a new guidance document on technical measures for abating ammonia emissions. There will be a focus on implementing the Convention's protocols in countries with economies in transition as well as on outreach activities to other regions with air pollution problems.
Website: http://www.unece.org/env/eb/welcome.25.html
(for documents)
10-14
Rome / Meetings on Gender Statistics
10-12 / Global Forum on Gender Statistics
Focal point: Linda M Hooper
Phone: +41 (0) 22 917 3255
E-mail: / The Italian National Institute of Statistics (ISTAT) and the United Nations (UNSD, UNDAW, UNFPA, and UNECE) in collaboration with the World Bank are organizing the Global Forum on Gender Statistics. The Global Forum will be the first of a series of international meetings on gender statistics to be held annually with the purpose of promoting the advancement of gender statistics among decision makers and all other user groups. To that end, some of the key objectives of the Forum are to:
- Officially launch the Global Gender Statistics Programme (GGSP) and the Interagency and Expert Group on Gender Statistics (IAEG-GS);
- Officially launch GenderInfo, an adaptation of DevInfo to present gender based indicators;
- Review technical developments in selected areas both at the national and international levels and recommend actions for further developments of gender statistics in these areas, including securing high-level commitment for their implementation.
Website: http://www.unece.org/stats/documents/2007.12.forum.htm
13-14 / Joint UNECE/WBI Workshop on National Gender Statistics Training Programmes
Focal point: Linda M Hooper
Phone: +41 (0) 22 917 32 55
E-mail: / The purpose of the workshop is to take stock of current status of the national training programmes on the development of gender statistics in national statistical offices of countries of the Network, to expose the participants to new training materials, and to plan next steps in the national training events.
Website: http://www.unece.org/stats/documents/2007.12.gender.htm
11 (pm)-14 / Working Party on Passive Safety
Focal point: Edoardo Gianotti
Phone: +41 (0) 22 9172422
E-mail: / As a subsidiary body of the World Forum for Harmonization of Vehicle Regulations (WP.29), the Working Party on Passive Safety (GRSP) will resume, during its 42nd session, the consideration of the worldwide harmonization concerning pedestrian safety, head restraints, side impact dummy, vehicle crash compatibility as well as hydrogen and fuel cell vehicles. GRSP will also consider a range of amendments to current UNECE Regulations related to vehicle passive safety requirements, in particular: door latches and hinges, safety-belts and its anchorages, cabs of commercial vehicles, child restraints systems, strength of seats, restraining of children and wheelchair users travelling on buses and coaches, frontal collision of buses and coaches, as well as battery electric vehicles with regard to specific requirements for construction and functional safety.
Website: http://www.unece.org/trans/main/welcwp29.htm
12 (pm)-14 / Sub-Committee of Experts on the Globally Harmonized System of Classification and Labelling of Chemicals
Focal point: Rosa Garcia Couto
Phone: +41 (0) 22 917 24 35
E-mail: / ECOSOC subsidiary body serviced by the UNECE secretariat.
At its fourteenth session, the Sub-Committee will examine the proposals for amendment to the current criteria for the classification of chronic hazards for the aquatic environment, as well as other proposals regarding physical hazards.
The Sub-Committee will also be informed about the progress of the ongoing work on the development of new hazard classes and on the application of the GHS criteria.
The Sub-Committee will also consider GHS implementation issues (information on the status of implementation, capacity building activities, cooperation with other international organizations, etc).
The provisional agenda for the fourteenth session (as well as the provisional list of documents and annotations to the agenda) may be found at:
http://www.unece.org/trans/main/dgdb/dgsubc4/c4age.html
12-14
Amsterdam,
Netherlands / UNECE Expert Group for Indicators for Education for Sustainable Development
Focal point: Angela Sochirca
Phone: +41 (0) 22 917 2064
E-mail: / The sixth meeting of the Expert Group will work on revising the set of indicators on ESD as appropriate, following the pilot reporting exercise and feedback from countries on the workability and feasibility of the indicators and the requested information for reporting.
Website: http://www.unece.org/env/esd/welcome.htm
13-14 / Task Force on Electronic Information Tools
Focal point: Michael Stanley-Jones
Phone: +41 (0) 22 917 2442
E-mail: / The Task Force will host a mini-conference on Agenda 21 and the Information Society examining how changes to access to information are impacting e-environment, e-commerce and e-democracy in the region. It will also review implementation of decision II/3 and discuss potential activities for Aarhus Convention 2009-2011work programme.
Website: http://www.unece.org/env/pp/electronictools.htm
13-14 / Gas Centre Task Force on the Implementation of EU Gas Directives
Focal point: Tans van-Kleef
Phone: +41 (0) 22 917 2443
E-mail: / Website: http://www.gascentre.unece.org/
17-18
Kiev / Enhancing National Capacity for the Facilitation of Interregional Transport Along the Euro-Asian Transport Links
Focal point: Jaromir Cekota
Phone: +41 (0) 22 917 2445
E-mail: / Ministry of Transport and Communications of Ukraine will host the UNECE capacity-building workshop on the facilitation of international transport along the Euro-Asian transport links. The audience targeted by the Workshop includes government officials and private sector stakeholders.
Website: http://www.unece.org/trans/main/eatl/intro.html
19-20
Kiev / OSCE-UNECE Round Table on Border Crossing Facilitation and Good Governance in Customs
Focal point: Robert Nowak
Phone: +41 (0) 22 917 1267
E-mail: / The Round Table will bring together participants from international and non-governmental organizations, national transport associations as well as government representatives from Central Asia, South Caucasus, Eastern European and EU countries. Participants will discuss issues related to border-crossing facilitation (including security aspects), customs best practices and integrated border management measures.
Website: http://www.unece.org/trans/welcome.html & http://www.osce.org

Just issued

Register-based statistics in the Nordic countries – Review of best practices with focus on population and social statistics

ECE/CES/STAT/2007/2 – Sales # E.07.II.E.11 – ISBN 978-92-1-116963-8 – US$ 15

[1] Not an official record; for information only. Unless otherwise specified, meetings are held in the Palais des Nations, Geneva.