MINSK, 13 June (BelTA) - The Meeting of the Parties to the Espoo Convention will take place in Minsk on 13-16 June, BelTA has learned.
Belarus will host the 7th Meeting of the Parties to the Convention on Environmental Impact Assessment in a Transboundary Context and the 3rd Meeting of the Parties to the Convention serving as the Meeting of the Parties to the Protocol on Strategic Environmental Assessment.
Attending the events will be nearly 200 representatives from 45 member states of the Espoo Convention, including ministers and deputy ministers, high ranking officials of international organizations and financial institutes, the public. It is expected that the Minsk declaration will be signed at the final joint high-level meeting.
The adoption of the Minsk declaration will promote the implementation of the sustainable development goals by 2030 through efficient application of the Espoo Convention and the Protocol on Strategic Environmental Assessment, strengthen the role of the convention and the protocol in addressing key issues such as climate change and loss of biological diversity, assist the preservation of biological diversity, eco system services and the integration of ecological reasons, including those related to people's health, into the policy of such sectors as agriculture, waste treatment, energy, transport, use of land and urban planning to promote the "green" growth.
The meeting will also discuss the role of the Espoo Convention and the Protocol on Strategic Environmental Assessment in addressing climate change issues.
Adopted on 25 February 1991 in Espoo, Finland, the Convention has been ratified by 45 states. The convention sets out the obligations of the Parties to assess the environmental impact of certain activities at an early stage of planning. It also lays down the general obligation of the States to notify and consult each other on all major projects under consideration that are likely to have a significant adverse environmental impact across boundaries.
