Heads of Delegation online meeting

The meeting of OSPAR's Heads of Delegation took place as an online meeting with a curtailed agenda due to the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic from 19-20 May 2020. The main aim of the meeting was to take stock of the capacity of Contracting Parties to engage in OSPAR work in the coming months, to develop a proposed calendar of meetings for autumn 2020 and to enable work to continue in subsidiary bodies.

The HOD(1)2020 meeting concluded on a meeting calendar for autumn 2020, and developed an indicative calendar up until the OSPAR 2021 and Ministerial Meeting 2021 in June 2021. The meeting also agreed steer for subsidiary bodies to continue their work, for example by agreeing the next steps on developing components of the North East Atlantic Environment Strategy 2030. The meeting also addressed important housekeeping issues, such as receiving the audit statement and developing budget proposals for OSPAR.

Heads of Delegation will come together in a second meeting in autumn 2020 with a view of preparing for the delayed OSPAR 2020 meeting.