Mandate: - Resolution of the Council revising the Mandate of the Environment Policy Committee [C(2018)139] approved by the Council on 29 October 2018 at its 1383rd session [C/M(2018)20, item 216]
Resolution of the Council [C(2018)139, and C/M(2018)20, item 216]
DRAFT RESOLUTION OF THE COUNCIL REVISING THE MANDATE
OF THE ENVIRONMENT POLICY COMMITTEE
“THE COUNCIL,
Having regard to Articles 1, 2, 5(a) and 12 of the Convention on the Organisation for Economic Co‑operation and Development of 14 December 1960;
Having regard to the Rules of Procedure of the Organisation;
Having regard to the Resolution of the Council on Partnerships in OECD Bodies [C(2012)100/FINAL], the OECD Strategy on Development [C/MIN(2012)6] and the EPOC Global Relations Strategy [ENV/EPOC(2018)12/FINAL];
Having regard to the OECD Declaration on Green Growth [C/MIN(2009)5/ADD1/FINAL] and the OECD’s Green Growth Strategy welcomed at the OECD Meeting of Council at Ministerial Level in 2011 [C/MIN(2011)4 and its ANN1&2; and C/MIN(2011)5/FINAL];
Having regard to the establishment of the Environment Committee on 22 July 1970 [C(70)135], renamed Environment Policy Committee on 12 March 1992 [C(92)25/FINAL], whose mandate was last renewed and revised in 2013 [C(2013)89];
Recognising that without policy changes, the continuation of business-as-usual economic growth and development will have serious adverse impacts on natural resources and ecosystem services and that these impacts pose risks to human health and well-being ;
Recognising the necessity for both developed and developing countries to move to a greener growth path that is consistent with the protection of the environment and a sustainable use of scarce natural resources, while still achieving on-going improvements in living standards and reducing poverty;
Recognising that green growth policies favour the transition to a low-carbon, resource-efficient economy, that improves the management of the natural asset base, that raises environmental quality of life and that creates economic opportunities associated with changes in consumption and production;
Recognising that the effective and efficient implementation of environmentally-related policies is dependent on sound economic analysis, technological innovation and diffusion, and strong legal, institutional and administrative arrangements;
Aware also that close co-operation among governments, industry, labour and non-governmental organisations, as well as public participation and access to environmental information, are critical to building and maintaining public support for environmental investments and policies;
Conscious that OECD Members have a responsibility to safeguard their own environments, and have expressed a commitment to assist other nations in addressing their environmental challenges at the national level as well as to engage them in co-operative efforts to confront regional and global-scale environmental threats;
Recalling that OECD Environment Ministers at their meeting in March 2012 considered that the main objectives and recommendations of the “OECD Environmental Strategy for the First Decade of the 21st Century [ENV/EPOC(2000)13/REV4]” remain valid [ENV/EPOC(2012)3/FINAL];
Recalling that OECD Environment Ministers at their meeting in September 2016 stressed the role of the OECD as a platform for supporting strong policy action and sharing experiences to assist countries in the implementation of the Paris Agreement on climate change, the Sustainable Development Goals and financing for development [ENV/EPOC/M(2016)3];
Having regard to the proposed revision of the mandate of the Environment Policy Committee C(2018)139;
DECIDES:
A. The Environment Policy Committee is renewed with the following revised mandate:
I. Objectives
1. Support the development of policies aiming at protecting and restoring the environment as well as responding to major environmental issues and threats.
2. Promote improved environmental policies and their integration with economic, social and sectoral polices in line with a green growth and sustainable development approach.
3. Encourage co-operation among Members and Partners (i.e. non-Members) in the pursuit of shared environmental objectives, including through co-ordinated consultation on policies and approaches, and by sharing environmental management expertise, experiences, information, and through joint research and analysis.
4. Promote improved environmental performance of Members and selected Partners through the conduct of systematic assessments with reference to their national and international policies and commitments.
5. Identify environmental trends, progress and deficiencies for Members and Partners through the development and use of environmental and green growth indicators and standardised, comparable sets of data and statistics.
II. Co-ordination arrangements
1. Ensure that the views and expertise of non-government institutions are drawn upon in the conduct of OECD's environmental work, utilising, inter alia, the Business and Industry Advisory Committee to the OECD (BIAC), the Trade Union Advisory Committee to the OECD (TUAC) and relevant non-governmental organisations.
2. Maintain close working relationships with other Committees and relevant bodies of the Organisation, seeking to ensure that environmental considerations are fully addressed in the overall work of the OECD, in particular work on green growth and sustainable development, in a well co-ordinated and horizontal manner.
3. Work with the Chemicals Committee to foster coherence with the overall programme of work of the Chemicals Committee through its Working Party on Chemicals, Pesticides and Biotechnology which meets jointly with the Chemicals Committee in the form of the Joint Meeting, including through the development of guidance on the safe management of chemicals and products of modern biotechnology, and outreach to Partners.
4. Maintain, as appropriate, relations with other international organisations, seeking to achieve co-ordinated and complementary work programmes in areas of shared interest and mutual benefit, and ensuring that the experience and expertise of other bodies is appropriately incorporated into OECD environmental work.
B. The Mandate of the Environment Policy Committee shall remain in force until 31 December 2023.”