AARHUS CONVENTION

Press Releases

2009

6 October	New treaty on pollutants enters into force on 8 October ENG FRE
17 July	New International treaty requires industries to report on pollutants ENG

2008 - Third meeting of the Parties, 11-13 June 2008

13 June	Aarhus Parties commit to strengthening environmental democracy in the UNECE region and beyond ENG
10 June	Parties to the world’s most far-reaching treaty on public participation and environmental rights meet in Latvia 11-13 June 2008 ENG
30 May	Environmental Democracy Treaty to Celebrate 10th Anniversary, 11-13 June 2008 ENG

 

2007

21 May	UN Commissions promote the Information Society - From Declaration to Implementation ENG
21 May	Managing the environmental footprint of the Information Society ENG
18 Jan	Aarhus membership climbs to forty: Germany to become 40th Party to environmental rights treaty ENG

2006

3 March

European Community ratifies pollutant right-to-know treaty ENG

2005

18 Oct	Geneva International Academic Network Finances a Joint UNECE / University of Geneva Environment Research Team ENG
27 May	Environmental rights treaty body pushes forward environmental democracy agenda ENG
26 May	Parties adopt amendment on public participation in decision-making on genetically modified organisms ENG
24 May	Parties to the Convention hold second meeting (Almaty, Kazakhstan, 25-27 May 2005) ENG
25 Feb	Aarhus Convention ratified by the European Community - Four EU member States also to become Parties to environmental rights treaty ENG

2004

7 Sept	Finland has become the latest country to ratify the Aarhus Convention. Following on the heels of ratifications by the Czech Republic and Slovenia, this brings the total number of Parties to the Convention to thirty ENG
13 July	A new “environmental democracy” clearing house – aarhusclearinghouse.unece.org – is being launched by the UNECE ENG
23 June	UNECE hosts side-event on PRTR at European Environment and Health Ministers Conference in Budapest ENG
14 May	Green groups challenge governments over compliance with treaty obligations ENG

2003

10 Dec	Environmental democracy discussed at the World Summit on the Information Society ENG
31 Oct	UNECE Aarhus Convention takes hold in the European Union ENG
23 May	More Signatories to the new UNECE Protocols as Fifth Ministerial Conference "Environment for Europe" wraps up in Kiev ENG
21 May	34 countries sign new Protocol on Pollutant Release and Transfer Registers ENG
21 May	New United Nations treaty on pollution information disclosure to be adopted and signed today ENG
20 March	Public to play a role in enforcing international law ENG
31 Jan	Governements reach agreement on new United Nations Treaty on pollution information disclosure (Русский) ENG RUS

2002

29 Nov	New right-to know treaty on pollution takes shape ENG
21 Oct	First Meeting of the Parties to the Aarhus Convention - Opening remarks by Mrs. Brigita Schmognerova, Executive Secretary, UNECE ENG
18 Oct	Governments and Environmentalists gather at launch of United Nations Convention on Environmental Democracy ENG
27 Aug	UNECE holds side-event on participatory democracy and good governance at World Summit on Sustainable Development ENG
26 Aug	Side event at the World Summit on Sustainable Development: Participatory democracy and good governance as fundamental tools for a human rights approach to sustainable development ENG

2001

29 Oct	Environmental rights not a luxury - Aarhus Convention enters into force ENG
9 Aug	Aarhus Convention starts count-down to entry into force ENG
6 July	Governments, industry and environmental groups debate transparency in new chemicals law ENG
16 March	Environmental rights Convention embraces electronic information age ENG
28 Feb	Negotiations on new information law on pollution start today ENG

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