Upcoming Meetings
Chemicals Management
June 2013
GEF 44th Council MeetingThe Global Environmental Facility (GEF) Council meets twice per year to approve new projects with global environmental benefits in the GEF's focal areas, and provide guidance to the GEF Secretariat and Agencies. Among other matters, the 44th session of the Council is expected to discuss the GEF's role vis-à-vis the global mercury agreement. A consulation with CSOs will take place on 17 June.
dates: 18-20 June 2013 location: Washington, District of Columbia, United States of America contact: GEF Secretariat phone: +1-202-473-0508 fax: +1-202-522-3240 e-mail: secretariat@thegef.org www: http://www.thegef.org/gef/events/gef-44th-council-meeting
33rd Meeting of the Open-Ended Working Group of the Parties to the Montreal ProtocolThis meeting will consider issues related to the implementation of the Montreal Protocol in preparation for the 25th Meeting of the Parties (MOP25) scheduled to convene in November 2013.
dates: 24-28 June 2013 location: Bangkok, Thailand contact: Ozone Secretariat phone: +254-20-762-3851 fax: +254-20-762-0335 e-mail: ozoneinfo@unep.org www: http://ozone.unep.org/new_site/en/historical_meetings.php?in...
July 2013
25th Session of the ECOSOC Sub-Committee of Experts on the Globally Harmonized System of Classification and Labeling of ChemicalsThe UN Economic and Social Council's (ECOSOC) Sub-Committee of Experts on the Globally Harmonized System of Classification and Labeling of Chemicals (GHS) will discuss draft amendments to the GHS, GHS implementation, guidance on the application of GHS criteria and the issuance of the 5th revised edition of the GHS.
dates: 1-3 July 2013 location: Geneva, Switzerland contact: Rosa Garcia Couto phone: +41-22-917-2435 fax: +41-22-917-0039 www: http://www.unece.org/trans/main/dgdb/dgsubc4/activities.html
Eleventh International Conference on Mercury as a Global PollutantThe theme of ICMGP 2013 is "Science informing global policy". The conference will celebrate the agreement on the Minamata Convention on Mercury, and consider how to put the treaty into practice. The meeting aims to exchange information on the science of mercury behavior and release, and its effect on ecosystems.
dates: 28 July - 2 August 2013 location: Edinburgh, United Kingdom contact: Marcus Pattison phone: +44-1727-858840 fax: +44-1727-840310 e-mail: info@mercury2013.com www: http://www.mercury2013.com/
September 2013
Expert Meeting on POPS in Articles in Use and “POPS-Free” Initiative [rescheduled]Experts at this meeting will provide input for a publication on POPs in articles in use and the Stockholm Convention's POPs-free initiative. This meeting has been postponed until the second half of 2013.
dates: 2-4 September 2013 [tentative] location: Geneva, Switzerland [tentative] contact: Stockholm Convention Secretariat phone: +41-22-917-8729 fax: +41-22-917-8098 e-mail: ssc@pops.int www: http://www.pops.int
Global Ocean Action SummitThe Global Ocean Action Summit, organized by the Government of the Netherlands and the World Bank, is meant to "seal major deals for worldwide action" addressing the threats to the health and productivity of oceans. The meeting aims to mobilize financial and technical support for attaining established goals under the Global Partnership for Oceans (GPO). It will also host the first official assembly of GPO partners, and will mark the implementation phase of the GPO. In addition, a report indicating priority areas and regions for action will be launched by the GPO Blue Ribbon Panel, an independent group of ocean experts. Attendance is by invitation only.
dates: 9-13 September 2013 location: The Hague, Netherlands contact: Elisabeth Mealey phone: +1 202 458 4475 e-mail: emealey@worldbank.org www: http://www.worldbank.org/en/news/press-release/2013/03/27/gl...
68th Session of the UN General Assembly (UNGA 68)The 68th Regular Session of the UN General Assembly (UNGA 68) will convene at UN Headquarters on Tuesday, 17 September 2013. The General Debate will open on Tuesday, 24 September 2013.
dates: 17-30 September 2013 venue: UN Headquarters location: New York, United States of America www: http://www.un.org/ga/search/view_doc.asp?symbol=A/INF/67/1
October 2013
Diplomatic Plenipotentiary Conference on Global Legally Binding Instrument on MercuryThe Conference will adopt the Minamata Convention on Mercury and a final act that addresses: how to promote and prepare for the early implementation of the Convention; arrangements for the interim period between the signing of the instrument and its entry into force, including arrangements for financial and technical assistance during that period; and secretariat arrangements. A preparatory session will be held on 7-8 October, opening ceremonies on 9 October, and the full Conference on 10-11 October 2013.
dates: 7-11 October 2013 location: Kumamoto, Japan contact: Jacob Duer, UNEP phone: +254-2076-24011 fax: +254-2076-24300 e-mail: Jacob.Duer@unep.org www: http://www.unep.org/hazardoussubstances/Mercury/Negotiations...
POPRC 9The ninth meeting of the Persistent Organic Pollutants Review Committee (POPRC 9) will review chlorinated naphthalenes, hexachlorobutadiene, hexabromocyclododecane, and pentachlorophenol and its salts and esters, as well as discuss other technical work such as the impact of climate change on the POPRC's work and common issues in applying Annex E criteria. A joint meeting with the Rotterdam Convention's Chemical Review Committee (CRC) may be held on 19 October 2013, if approved by the joint Basel/Rotterdam/Stockholm COPs.
dates: 14-18 October 2013 location: Rome, Italy contact: Stockholm Convention Secretariat phone: +41-22-917-8729 fax: +41-22-917-8098 e-mail: ssc@pops.int www: http://www.pops.int
International Lead Poisoning Prevention Week of ActionDuring the campaign week, the Global Alliance to Eliminate Lead Paint (GAELP) aims to: raise awareness about lead poisoning; highlight countries and partners' efforts to prevent childhood lead poisoning; and urge further action to eliminate lead paint. GAELP is a partnership under the Strategic Approach to International Chemicals Management (SAICM). GAELP partners include: the International Pediatrics Association; the UN Environment Programme (UNEP); US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention US Environmental Protection Agency; and the World Health Organization.
dates: 20-26 October 2013 location: worldwide contact: GAELP Secretariat e-mail: noleadinpaint@who.int www: http://www.who.int/ipcs/assessment/public_health/pb_campaign...
Ninth Meeting of the Rotterdam Convention Chemical Review CommitteeThe Chemical Reivew Committee (CRC) is a subsidiary body of the Rotterdam Convention that reviews chemicals and pesticide formulations according to the criteria set out by the Convention in Annexes II and IV, respectively, and makes recommendations to the COP for listing these chemicals in Annex III. A joint meeting with the POPRC may be held on 19 October 2013, if approved by the joint Basel/Rotterdam/Stockholm COPs. This meeting was originally scheduled to convene in March 2013, but is now scheduled to meet back to back with the Stockholm Convention's POPRC.
dates: 21-25 October 2013 location: Rome, Italy contact: Rotterdam Convention Secretariat phone: +41-22-917-8296 fax: +41-22-917-8082 e-mail: pic@pic.int www: http://www.pic.int/
25th Meeting of the Parties to the Montreal ProtocolMOP 25 is scheduled to consider a number of issues, including nominations for critical- and essential-use exemptions. On 3 May 2013, the Ozone Secretariat announced the change in venue from Kiev (Kyiv), Ukraine to Bangkok, Thailand. The dates are unchanged.
dates: 21-25 October 2013 location: Bangkok, Thailand contact: Ozone Secretariat phone: +254-20-762-3851 fax: +254-20-762-4691 e-mail: ozoneinfo@unep.org www: http://ozone.unep.org/new_site/en/historical_meetings.php
Eighth International Conference on Waste Management and Technology (ICWMT8)Organized by the Basel Convention Coordinating Centre for Asia and the Pacific, and sponsored by the UN Environment Programme (UNEP), the Stockholm Convention Regional Centre for Capacity-Building and the Transfer of Technology in Asia and the Pacific, China's Ministry of Environmental Protection and others, ICWMT aims to promote exchange and cooperation on management policy, technology and experiences on solid and hazardous waste. Under the theme of "Towards Ecological Civilization," ICWMT8 will discuss: waste electrical and electronic equipment (WEEE) management policy and technology; hazardous waste management and safe disposal; industrial solid waste utilization and disposal; contaminated sites regulation and governance; circular economy and urban mining exploitation and utilization; persistent organic pollutants (POPs) waste management and disposal; scrapped vehicle recycling management and processing; biomass comprehensive utilization; and waste plastic utilization.
dates: 30 October - 1 November 2013 location: Beijing, China contact: BCRC Beijing phone: +86-10-62794351 fax: +86-10-62772048 e-mail: icwmt@tsinghua.edu.cn www: http://conf.bcrc.cn/english/
June 2014
31st Session of the FAO Committee on Fisheries (COFI 31)This session will be held in June 2014. Based on its terms of reference, COFI: reviews the work programmes of the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) in the field of fisheries, and their implementation; conducts periodic general reviews of international fishery problems and examine possible solutions through national, FAO and intergovernmental programmes; reviews specific matters relating to fisheries referred to the Committee by the Council or the Director-General, or placed by the Committee on its Agenda at the request of Member Nations in accordance with the rules of procedure of the Committee, and to make recommendations as may be appropriate; considers the desirability of preparing and submitting to Member Nations an international convention under Article XIV of the Constitution to ensure effective international cooperation and consultation in fisheries on a world scale; and reports to the Council or tender advice to the Director-General, as appropriate, on matters considered by the Committee.
dates: 9-13 June 2014 venue: FAO headquarters location: Rome, Italy contact: FAO Fisheries e-mail: FAO-COFI@fao.org www: http://www.fao.org/unfao/govbodies/gsbhome/committee-fi/en/
September 2014
69th Session of the UN General Assembly (UNGA 69)The 69th Regular Session of the UN General Assembly (UNGA 69) will convene at UN Headquarters on Tuesday, 16 September 2014. The General Debate will open on Tuesday, 23 September 2014.
dates: 16-29 September 2014 venue: UN Headquarters location: New York, United States of America www: http://www.un.org/ga/search/view_doc.asp?symbol=A/INF/67/1
September 2015
70th Session of the UN General Assembly (UNGA 70)The 70th Regular Session of the UN General Assembly (UNGA 70) will convene at UN Headquarters on Tuesday, 15 September 2015. The General Debate will open on Tuesday, 22 September 2016.
dates: 15-28 September 2015 venue: UN Headquarters location: New York, United States of America www: http://www.un.org/ga/search/view_doc.asp?symbol=A/INF/67/1
September 2016
71st Session of the UN General Assembly (UNGA 71)The 71st Regular Session of the UN General Assembly (UNGA 71) will convene at UN Headquarters on Tuesday, 13 September 2016. The General Debate will open on Tuesday, 20 September 2016.
dates: 13-26 September 2016 venue: UN Headquarters location: New York, United States of America www: http://www.un.org/ga/search/view_doc.asp?symbol=A/INF/67/1
September 2017
72nd Session of the UN General Assembly (UNGA 72)The 72nd Regular Session of the UN General Assembly (UNGA 72) will convene at UN Headquarters on Tuesday, 12 September 2017. The General Debate will open on Tuesday, 19 September 2017.
dates: 12-25 September 2017 venue: UN Headquarters location: New York, United States of America www: http://www.un.org/ga/search/view_doc.asp?symbol=A/INF/67/1
