The 8th meeting of the Legal Board under the Water Convention (Geneva, 24-25 February 2011)

We would like to inform you that the eighth meeting of the Legal Board of the Water Convention will take place on 24-25 February 2011 in Geneva, starting at 10.00 a.m. on Thursday, 24 February 2011, and closing at 5 p.m. on Friday 25 February 2011. Based on the tasks entrusted to it by the fifth session of the Meeting of the Parties, the Legal Board will continue its work on a proposal for a mechanism to facilitate and support implementation and compliance.

The participation in this activity of both Parties and non-Parties is extremely important as the work of the Legal Board in this area should ultimately lead to a proposal to be submitted for possible adoption at the sixth session of the Meeting of the Parties in 2012. Therefore, we strongly encourage all focal points to facilitate the nomination of national legal experts to this activity.

Another important item on the agenda is the application of the principles of the Convention to transboundary groundwater. Since the process of preparation of the preliminary study might involve some specific technical expertise, we encourage all focal points to also facilitate the nomination of water management experts in the field of groundwater to this activity.

Documents

The provisional agenda for the meeting is attached (ECE/ MP.WAT/AC.4/2011/1). We also attach the document "Possible drafting language for a mechanism to facilitate and support implementation and compliance" (ECE/MP.WAT/AC.4/2011/3) submitted by the chair of the Legal Board based on the outcomes of the drafting group formed at the last meeting of the Legal Board. Official translations of these documents into Russian and French will be disseminated as soon as they become available.

Additional documentation for the meeting of the Legal Board will be made available on the meeting website: http://www.unece.org/env/water/meetings/legal_board/legal_board.htm

Working languages

The working languages of the Legal Board will be English, French and Russian.

Registration, visa and financial support

Participants are requested to complete the registration form (attached) and to transmit it by e-mail to the secretariat (olga.carlos@unece.org) as soon as possible, but not later than 14 February 2011. If you need a personal invitation letter for visa purpose, please contact the secretariat as soon as possible and also indicate it clearly in the registration form.

Eligible participants from countries with economies in transition may apply for financial support to facilitate their participation in the meeting. Requests for financial support should be submitted together with the registration form to UNECE by e-mail (olga.carlos@unece.org) as soon as possible, but not later than 17 January 2011.