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27 - 28 June 2017 | New mandate for the UNECE Working Group on Environmental Monitoring and Assessment

The participation of the project NFPs from the six Eastern partnership countries was supported by the ENI SEIS II East project. This was the first meeting of the working group under the new 4-year mandate adopted by the UNECE Committee on Environmental Policy. The focus of the new mandate is to support the development of  SEIS at the pan-European level and the streamlining of a regular reporting processes by 2021.

Background

The UNECE Working Group on Environmental Monitoring and Assessment (WGEMA) was originally established by the Committee on Environmental Policy in 2000 as the Ad Hoc Working Group on Environmental Monitoring. The body serves all UNECE member states as a platform to exchange good practice and information, develop action plans and strengthen initiatives on environmental monitoring and related areas. In 2007, the working group was mandated to assist the countries of eastern Europe, the Caucasus and Central Asia and interested countries of South-Eastern Europe (the target countries) to make monitoring and assessment an effective instrument for environmental policymaking and to improve international environmental reporting. In 2011, the Working Group was mandated to support efforts of the target countries in establishing SEIS. 

19th Session of the UNECE Working Group on Environmental Monitoring and Assessment

The working group was invited to review the SEIS reporting mechanism and guidelines and the generation of annual SEIS-related performance reports for the Committee on Environmental Policy.

The electronic tool to monitor SEIS progress across the region was developed and presented by UN Environment.  The EEA was invited to take part in the testing of the tool and to make the necessary links with current developments in ‘Reportnet’, the reporting infrastructure used by Eionet.

The next meeting of the UNECE Committee on Environment Policy is scheduled for 14-17 November 2017, where the work of WGEMA will be reviewed.

Meeting documentation