2. The Chair of WP.29 welcomed delegates to the 177th session of the World Forum for Harmonization of Vehicle Regulations, WP.29, and opened the meeting.

3. The Chair of WP.29 called for a minute of silence in memory of the victims of the tragic aircraft crash in Ethiopia, where 157 persons from more than 30 nationalities perished. More than twenty UN staff members had been among the victims.