Background: At the fifth meeting of the Negotiating Committee of the regional agreement on access to information, participation and justice in environmental matters in Latin America and the Caribbean held in Santiago from 21 to 25 November 2016, the countries decided to call an intersessional meeting of the Negotiating Committee (virtual) in March 2017. Pursuant to the Organization and Work Plan of the Negotiating Committee, no decisions are to be taken at virtual meetings.

Objective of the meeting: Present and discuss article 10 of the compilation text on capacity-building and cooperation with the aim of identifying consensuses and divergences that facilitate the negotiation at the next meeting of the Negotiating Committee (Brasilia, 20-24 March 2017). As agreed by the Presiding Officers, the discussion will be steered by Costa Rica and Saint Vincent and the Grenadines.