With the finish line in sight, another busy day was on the cards for delegates at the second meeting of the Ad Hoc Open-ended Working Group on a science-policy panel (OEWG-2 SPP) to contribute further to the sound management of chemicals and waste and to prevent pollution. The penultimate day of work was dominated once more by contact group discussions, with delegates striving to ensure that all their ideas are reflected in the text for further deliberations in the next stages of the SPP’s development.
In the morning plenary session, delegates listened to reports from contact groups’ Wednesday sessions, highlighting some progress but also revealing that much work remains for the OEWG to be able to fulfil its mandate and prepare a robust set of proposals for the SPP’s establishment. Some expressed concerns that their suggestions had not been properly reflected in the working documents.
Want to dig deeper into today's talks? Read the full Earth Negotiations Bulletin daily report.
Delegates further discussed options for the organization of future work and adopted the provisional agenda for OEWG-3.
Contact Group 1 focused on issues related to conflict of interest (CoI), operating principles, scope and function, capacity building, and intersessional work. On CoI, delegates discussed definitional issues, timeframes, the distinction between CoI and bias, and other CoI modalities. On operating principles, discussions focused on: taking a human rights approach; being responsive to developing countries’ needs; the precautionary approach; equity; and reference to prevention. In evening sessions, the contact group addressed capacity building and the future panel’s scope and functions.
Contact Group 2 addressed strategic partnerships, provisions on membership, financial arrangements for the SPP, and intersessional work. Contact Group 3 initiated a general exchange of views on procedures for the preparation and clearance of panel deliverables.
Contact Group 4 met in the evening, gathering input from all contact groups on intersessional work. Many delegates noted that, given the current state of progress, intersessional work will be imperative to provide a good basis for further deliberations at OEWG-3, scheduled for June 2024.
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All ENB photos are free to use with attribution. For the OEWG SPP, please use: Photo by IISD/ENB | Anastasia Rodopoulou
Plenary Session
Open-ended Working Group (OEWG) Chair Gudi Alkemade
Co-Facilitator Sam Adu-Kumi, Ghana, reporting back from Contact Group 1
Co-Facilitator Judith Torres, Uruguay, reporting back from Contact Group 2
Moleboheng Juliet Petlane, Lesotho, Co-Facilitator of Contact Group 3 on work-related processes and procedures
Olubunmi Olusanya, Nigeria, on behalf of the African Group
Santos Virgílio, Angola
Mona Ahmed, Sudan
Contact Group 1 on scope, objectives, functions, operating principles, and conflict of interest
Paige Robinson, United Kingdom
María Eugenia González Anaya, Mexico
Christina Charlotte Tolfsen, Norway
Abdulla Habib, Bahrain
View of the dais
Contact Group 2 on institutional arrangements
Sofia Tingstorp, Sweden, and Judith Torres, Uruguay, Co-Facilitators of Contact Group 2
Dima Arqan, State of Palestine
Qasem Alsharari, Saudi Arabia
Joaquín Salzberg, Argentina
Jill Hanna, Global Alliance on Health and Pollution
Bob Watson, University of East Anglia
Contact Group 3 on work-related processes and procedures
Elizabeth Nichols, US
Marìlia Porto, Brazil
Norwegian delegates conferring
Koki Takaki, Japan
Katerina Sebkovå, Czechia, and Moleboheng Juliet Petlane, Lesotho, Co-Facilitators of Contact Group 3
Lone Schou, Denmark, and Sam van de Snepscheut, the Netherlands
Contact Group 4 on intersessional work
Gudi Alkemade, the Netherlands, and Přemysl Štěpánek, Czechia, Co-Facilitators of Contact Group 4
Tessa Goverse, Principal Coordinator, OEWG Secretariat, and Didier Salzmann, UNEP
Linroy Christian, Antigua and Barbuda
Between Sessions
Around the Venue
