Regional organization groups were established in the five United Nations regions by decision SC-3/19. The main objective of the regional organization groups is to define and implement the strategy for regional information gathering, including facilitating capacity enhancement activities, and to produce the regional monitoring reports.
Membership
The terms of membership are as follows:
- Members are appointed for a minimum six year period beginning after the Conference of the Parties has considered the report of an evaluation and ending after the results of the following evaluation are considered by the Conference;
- To maintain continuity, members may renew their terms for subsequent evaluations;
- If a member steps down, Parties from the region in question should nominate a new member with expertise in monitoring and data evaluation, submitting the nomination to the Secretariat through the Bureau members from their region.
Tasks
The regional organization groups shoulder a multifaceted role in executing the regional monitoring plan aligned with the global monitoring plan's objectives. Under the guidance of recommendations from the global coordination group and subsequent global monitoring reports, the groups coordinate and oversee global monitoring plan (GMP) implementation, identify data gaps, and update regional strategies. They actively promote and sustain monitoring networks, collaborate with experts on POPs, ensure data quality, and maintain internal consistency and comparability over time. Additionally, the groups engage in capacity enhancement, project proposal preparation, and information dissemination, emphasizing stakeholder involvement and transparent communication. Their comprehensive efforts extend to preparing regional reports, interacting with other organization groups, and nominating members for the global coordination group, contributing to an effective integration of regional and global monitoring initiatives.
Global Coordination Group
The global coordination group, comprising three members from each region nominated by their respective regional organization groups, plays a key role in ensuring the seamless execution of the global monitoring plan. Meeting at least twice during the evaluation period, the group engages in a range of tasks to enhance coordination and oversight. These tasks include assisting the Secretariat in aligning and overseeing the GMP implementation, evaluating regional work to achieve consistency, and identifying obstacles to implementation along with corresponding actions. Additionally, the group collaborates with experts to update guidance, establishes a cross-regional approach to analyzing environmental transport data, and nominates a member for the effectiveness evaluation committee. Emphasizing experience-sharing, capacity enhancement, and awareness raising, the group reports on results through a comprehensive global monitoring report, evaluating changes in POPs levels, assessing long-range transport, and considering the impact of climate variables.
Furthermore, the global coordination group takes on the responsibility of evaluating the overall global monitoring plan, generating recommendations for the Conference of the Parties at each evaluation phase's conclusion. This evaluation encompasses assessing the roles, membership, and activities of both regional organization groups and the global coordination group. It also examines media-related issues, the need for updates in the global monitoring plan, implementation plan, and guidance on GMP for POPs. Capacity enhancement at the regional level is evaluated, and the group considers any other pertinent issues affecting the implementation of subsequent evaluations. Through these tasks, the global coordination group contributes significantly to the continuous improvement and effectiveness of the global monitoring plan.
Terms of reference and list of members
The terms of reference and the list of member of regional organization groups and global coordination group can be found here:
- Annex to decision SC-11/18 Revised terms of reference and mandate of the regional organization groups and the global coordination group referred to in the annex to decision SC-4/31
- UNEP/POPS/GCG.14/4 Membership of the regional organization groups and the global coordination group