The first session of the ad hoc Open-Ended Working Group on the Science-Policy Panel (OEWG-1.2) is taking place in Bangkok, Thailand, from 30th of January to 3rd of February 2023 with a focus on the Panel’s scope and principal functions. Three IPCP Board Members are in attendance and are providing their daily recaps.
Its all about process!
In the afternoon, a 4-hour meeting of the “Major Groups” (MGs) was held. The MGs are the structure within which interested parties (observers) are organized for UNEA and that will (most likely) also be used for the OEWG process for the new Science-Policy Panel. The 9 groups identified through UNEA are farmers, women, children and youth, scientific and technological community, NGOs, indigenous peoples, business and industry. The meeting was chaired by Laetitia Zobel, Civil Society Unit of UNEP, and was attended by approx. 50-60 participants from most MGs, with most from NGOs (IPEN and several of its member organizations). Some of the others present included Society of Environmental Toxicology and Chemistry (SETAC), the Royal Society of Chemistry, the Global Alliance on Health and Pollution, the International Council of Chemical Associations and several other industry groups, and more.
The meeting was productive because it enabled exchange and discussion among different observers; a particular point was how different observers should coordinate their inputs at the meeting plenary (time is limited and not every observer can just speak in the plenary as they like).
The meeting also facilitated an exchange of views on the scope and function of the SPP. The IPCP chair, Martin Scheringer summarized the IPCP view (broad scope, focus on synthetic organic chemicals; horizon scanning as one of the key functions). In the last part of the meeting, breakout groups were formed to discuss the MG structure and cooperation; the IPCP vice-chair, Miriam Diamond was the rapporteur of one of these breakout groups and strongly emphasized, a.o., the point made by another breakout group that academic institutions are not present in any of the MGs and that this needs to be addressed. She also said that scientists are not “stakeholders” in the strict sense of the word, as they will have the essential function of generating and providing scientific knowledge as input to the OEWG process and to the work of the Panel.
The IPCP White Paper has been published on the page on “Written Statements” here:
https://www.unep.org/events/conference/oewg1-science-policy-panel-contribute-further-sound-management-chemicals-and along with two statements by IPEN and SETAC.
Longer daily reports prepared by the International Institute for Sustainable Development, Earth Negotiations Bulletin are available at: https://enb.iisd.org/oewg1-2-science-policy-panel-contribute-further-sound-management-chemicals-waste-prevent-pollution
Read our next IPCP Bangkok daily briefing: https://www.ipcp.ch/news/ipcp-bangkok-briefings-20230130