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. Attorney Gabriela Esther Low, representative of SAEFL also welcomed the participants
and thanked UNEP and the Syrian government on their efforts and cooperation.
c. Mr. Basel Al-Yousfi, Regional Industry Officer, welcomed the participants on behalf of
UNEP. He emphasized the importance of the three MEAs in developing integrated
management approach of chemicals and wastes in the region based on LCA. He urged
member states to consider coordinated implantation of the MEAS on regional level. He
thanked the organizing partners and wished the participants success in fulfilling the
Workshop objectives.
V. Agenda and Presentations
13. Simultaneous translation English-Arabic and visa versa was provided throughout the
Workshop.
14. The 3-day Agenda for the Workshop was extensive, including presentations from most
countries, alongside technical presentations on the three MEAS from the Conventions
Secretariats, as well as regional offices (UNEP/ROWA, UNEP-DTIE-Chemicals and
UNEP-IUC). A copy of the Workshop Agenda is enclosed in Annex 2.
15. The first day was predominantly a technical session, outlining the requirements of the
MEAs and providing guidance in implementation.
16. Most countries represented at the Workshop provided presentations, delineating the overall
national picture and experiences concerning the three conventions.
17. Three Working Groups, met in three discussion sessions to address the issues of
coordinated implementation of the MEAs and provide insights and input to the plenary
Sessions (5 in total).
18. The Closing Session was Chaired by Dr. Akram Khory, DG of PCEA, and composed of
plenary discussion, conclusions and recommendations. Representatives of the organizing
consortium provided closing remarks.
19. Copies of all presentations are available on CD from UNEP/ROWA upon request.
VI. Proceedings and Discussion
20. In-depth discussion of a strategy for the further promotion of sound mangemnt of
chemicals and wastes in the region prevailed throughout the meeting. Consensus on the
integrated approach of coordinated implemntaion of the three MEAs were clearly reached,
arising from the presentations and country reports. The discussion and conclusions were
constructive, and collectively the Workshop was successful in satisfying the objectives.
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