With the historic resolution 5/8, the United Nations Environment Assembly decided that a science-policy panel should be established to contribute further to the sound management of chemicals and waste and to prevent pollution.
By the same resolution, the Environment Assembly decided to convene an ad hoc open-ended working group (OEWG) to prepare proposals for the science-policy panel. The OEWG commenced its work in 2022, with the ambition of completing it by the end of 2024.
The OEWG has convened for three sessions:
The first part of the third session (OEWG 3.1) took place from 17-21 June 2024 in Geneva, Switzerland, preceded by informal, regional and stakeholder consultations on 16 June 2024. OEWG 3.1 documentation, plenary recordings and practical information are available here.
The second session (OEWG 2) took place from 11-15 December 2023 in Nairobi, Kenya, preceded by informal, regional and stakeholder consultations from 9-10 December 2023. OEWG 2 documentation and written statements are available here.
The resumed first session (OEWG 1.2) was held from 30 January-3 February 2023 in Bangkok, Thailand. OEWG 1.2 documentation, written statements and information on Deep Dive Dialogues are available here.
The first part of the first session (OEWG 1.1) was held on 6 October 2022 in Nairobi, Kenya, in a hybrid format. OEWG 1.1 documentation and practical information is available here.
Regional meetings were organised to allow for briefings and preparations in advance of OEWG 2 and OEWG 3. Regional meeting summaries are available here.
A webinar series has been organised in collaboration with the Geneva Environment Network (GEN) to inform stakeholders, scientists and civil society about the OEWG process and progress towards the establishment of the new panel. The webinar series can be accessed here.
For any additional information, please contact the secretariat of the ad hoc open-ended working group on a science-policy panel to contribute further to the sound management of chemicals and waste and to prevent pollution at spp-cwp@un.org.
