Common use of Preparatory Phase Clause in Contracts

Preparatory Phase. Between 2012 and 2014, four meetings of the focal points appointed by the governments of the signatory countries of the Declaration on the application of Principle 10 of the Rio Declaration on Environment and Development in Latin America and the Caribbean were held (see table I.1). 3 A/CONF.216/13. First meeting (Santiago, 2012) Road map Second meeting (Guadalajara, Mexico, April 2013) Plan of action to 2014 Third meeting (Lima, October 2013) Lima Vision Priority lines of action for capacity-building and cooperation Fourth meeting (Santiago, November 2014) San ▇▇▇▇ Content Santiago Decision Beginning of negotiation phase At these meetings, the countries adopted the following foundational documents: (a) Road map (2012) The road map launched a process aimed at strengthening dialogue and regional cooperation and developing a regional instrument on rights of access to environmental information, participation and justice. It defined the instrument’s main principles and objectives. (b) Plan of action to 2014 (2013) The plan of action set forth the tasks to be accomplished up to 2014 to implement the Declaration on the application of Principle 10 of the Rio Declaration on Environment and Development in Latin America and the Caribbean. It included specific tasks, objectives, actions to be taken, resources and expected outcomes. The coordination of the process, including the establishment of working groups, and the modalities for the participation of stakeholders were defined. (c) Lima Vision for a regional instrument on access rights relating to the environment (2013) The Lima Vision outlined the importance and benefits of access rights and established the values and principles of the future regional instrument. (d) Priority lines of action for 2014 (2014) The priority lines of action established seven priorities for the working group on capacity-building and cooperation for 2014. These included the identification of best practices, the organization of regional and national capacity-building activities and the development of educational materials and training resources, among others. (e) San ▇▇▇▇ Content (2014) The San ▇▇▇▇ Content consisted of an annotated index of topics to be considered in the negotiation of the regional instrument on access rights in environmental matters. (f) Santiago Decision (2014) The Santiago Decision formally initiated the negotiations on the regional instrument, established a negotiating committee and requested the preparation of a preliminary document on the regional instrument. To carry forward the preparatory phase, the signatory countries of the Declaration appointed Chile, Mexico and the Dominican Republic as Presiding Officers. The Presiding Officers provided support for the implementation of the plan of action, undertook consultations and convened intergovernmental meetings to advance the process. Furthermore, during this period, two working groups were created to move forward in the discussions (Working group on capacity-building and cooperation (Group I), led by Colombia and Jamaica, and Working group on access rights and regional instrument (Group II), led by Brazil and Costa Rica). These working groups met on 14 occasions and concluded their mandate in November 2014. The public was significantly involved in the process. The preparatory phase laid the groundwork for its enhanced participation (see box I.1) In the Escazú Agreement process, the term “public” first appeared in the plan of action to 2014 for the implementation of the Declaration on the application of Principle 10 of the Rio Declaration on Environment and Development in Latin America and the Caribbean and its road map, adopted in Guadalajara, Mexico on 17 April 2013. Since then, during the preparatory and negotiation phases, the public was defined as any natural or legal person or community organization. This definition was intended to be broad and inclusive in order to ensure the widest possible participation of the different stakeholders throughout the process. Under the plan of action to 2014, a regional public mechanism was also established. Its objectives were to keep all parties interested in the process informed and facilitate their involvement, to coordinate public participation in international meetings and to contribute to the transparency of the process. The mechanism also served as a complement for participation actions carried out at the national level.