Geneva,
16 March 2001
Environmental
Rights Convention Embraces
Electronic Information Age
"Information
is a vital element in the protection of our environment.
Not only does it raise awareness among decision
makers and the public at large about the problems
and issues that should be tackled, but it also makes
it possible to take appropriate action when something
goes wrong. The recent example of the cyanide spill
in Baia Mare shows how poor communication and a
lack of information can aggravate an ecological
catastrophe and cause widespread confusion among
the population. The communication technology exists,
it is now up to the people working in the field
of environment to use it," says Kaj Brlund, Director
of the Environment Division of the United Nations
Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE).
The UNECE
Convention on Access to Information, Public Participation
in Decision-making and Access to Justice in Environmental
Matters* (the Aarhus Convention) aims at securing
the active participation of civil society as a prerequisite
for meaningful progress towards sustainability.
To promote and facilitate the involvement of the
public, the Convention's Signatories are now exploring
the possibilities offered by the latest information
and communication technologies and have set up a
task force to this end.
The first
meeting of the Task Force took place in Arendal,
Norway, on 8-9 March, and was attended by more than
60 environmental information professionals, policy
makers, NGOs and IT experts from more than 30 UNECE
member countries. At the meeting, it became obvious
that not all countries have the same possibilities
and infrastructures and that traditional means of
communication (e.g. television and radio) should
also be on the agenda. The event was chaired by
Austria (Federal Environment Agency), hosted by
the Norwegian Environment Ministry and streamed
via the Internet by the organizers, UNEP/GRID-Arendal
(www.grida.no).
The Task
Force decided that the efforts in environmental
information should concentrate on:
- Building the
capacities of public authorities in the use
of electronic tools;
- Developing
common approaches and tools for disseminating
environmental information via the Internet;
- Establishing
environmental gateways as user-friendly access
mechanisms;
- Using the electronic
media to raise awareness about the Convention
and the opportunities it offers to citizens;
- Working together
with NGOs, the mass media and other users to
improve the quality of environmental information
and access to it; and
- Promoting public
access centres in countries with inadequate
electronic infrastructures.
The Task
Force is itself setting an example, as it will continue
its work in a virtual environment via an electronic
discussion forum hosted by the Regional Environmental
Center for Central and Eastern Europe (REC) at www.rec.org/e-aarhus, where a gallery
of case studies also can be found.
The Task
Force was established in July 2000 based on a proposal
by the REC, the United Nations Environment Programme
(UNEP) and the ECO Forum. The United Nations Economic
Commission for Europe hosts the secretariat for
the Convention and the Task Force.
For
more information, please contact:
Sofie
H. FLENSBORG
UNECE Environment and Human Settlements
Division
Palais des Nations, office 315
CH - 1211 Geneva 10, Switzerland
Phone: (+41 22) 917 26 50
Fax:
(+41 22) 907 01 07
E-mail: sofie.flensborg@unece.org
* The
UNECE Convention on Access to Information, Public
Participation in Decision-making and Access to Justice
in Environmental Matters was signed by 39 countries
and the European Community in June 1998 in Aarhus,
Denmark. Ten countries have ratified it. More information
about the Convention is available at: www.unece.org/env/pp