Highlights of 30th January 2023
In March 2022 the UN Environment Assembly (UNEA) agreed in resolution 5/8 to establish a science-policy panel to contribute further to the sound management of chemicals and waste and to prevent pollution. Substantive discussions will begin at the resumed first Open-ended Working Group meeting (OEWG 1-2). The first session featured operational decisions and opening statements.
Resuming the first session of the OEWG, delegates set to the task assigned to them by the UN Environment Assembly (UNEA) Resolution 5/8: to develop a science-policy panel to contribute further to the sound management of chemicals and waste and to prevent pollution. Much of the day was devoted to procedural matters, particularly the election of officers, before participants turned their attention to the scope of the panel.
At the opening, acting Chair Sierra noted that during the first part of the meeting, delegates delivered general statements sharing views on the establishment of the science-policy panel. She urged participants to “dive into the substance and turn our vision into reality.”
After the opening session, the OEWG adopted the agenda and organization of work for the resumed meeting. Then general statements were provided by delegates from different participant countries.
The Secretariat presented the documents on scope (UNEP/SPP-CWP/OEWG.1/4) and principal functions (UNEP/SPP-CWP/OEWG.1/5). He noted that the overall landscape is complex, containing several relevant bodies and processes. On options for the panel’s scope, he suggested four key steps: an integrative approach to establishing scope; a conceptual framework to guide the panel’s work; a decision regarding the inclusive versus exclusive character of the panel; and identification of entities the panel would directly support.
OEWG 1-2 started from 30 January and will end on 3 February in Bangkok, Thailand, and will be streamed online.
