Article 16 of the Convention requires the Conference of the Parties to evaluate the effectiveness of the Convention four years after its entry into force and periodically thereafter at intervals to be decided by the Conference of the Parties.
By decision SC-4/32, the Conference of the Parties established the Ad Hoc Working Group on Effectiveness Evaluation with the clear terms of reference to report to the fifth Meeting of the Conference of the Parties a proposal on procedure and arrangement for future Effectiveness Evaluation agreeing in principal a six-year period to be a suitable interval of effectiveness evaluation. The Ad Hoc Working Group on Effectiveness Evaluation consists of ten experts nominated by Parties, two from each of the United Nations regions.
The Ad Hoc Working Group is to develop cost-effective, streamlined and pragmatic proposals on:
- How information from national reports under Article 15 of the Convention could be compiled for the purpose of effectiveness evaluation;
- How information from the global monitoring plan, the non-compliance procedure under Article 17 of the Convention and national reports under Article 15 could be evaluated;
- Arrangements to prepare for and undertake future effectiveness evaluations, and
- To prepare a report for the consideration of the Conference of the Parties at its fifth meeting, in May 2011.
The Ad Hoc Working Group met twice to prepare the proposal on procedure and arrangement for future Effectiveness Evaluation. The First meeting of the Ad Hoc Working Group was held from 10 to 12 November, 2009, in Geneva. The second meeting held 1-2 June 2010 has finalized the draft framework for the Effectiveness Evaluation which will be reported to the fifth meeting of the Conference of the Parties.