November 2013: The UN Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE) has released the ‘Guide to Public Participation under the Protocol on Water and Health.’ This Guide seeks to promote access to information and public participation in decision-making processes on water and health.

The Guide includes chapters on: the cornerstones of public participation; public participation under the Protocol; public participation under specific provisions of the Protocol; and a toolbox for public participation. The Guide presents case studies from Serbia, Hungary, Ukraine, Moldova, France, Armenia, Finland and Romania. It aims to present legal obligations under the Protocol on access to information and public participation, and provide decision-makers and local authorities with tools to facilitate implementation of these obligations.

The Guide was released in advance of the Third Meeting of the Parties (MOP 3) to the Protocol on Water and Health to the UNECE Convention on the Protection and Use of Transboundary Watercourses and International Lakes (Water Convention), which took place from 25-27 November 2013, in Oslo, Norway. [Publication: Guide to Public Participation under the Protocol on Water and Health]