Press Releases 1998

[Index]

STATEMENT BY MR. KAJ BÄRLUND, DIRECTOR OF THE ENVIRONMENT AND HUMAN SETTLEMENTS DIVISION OF THE UNITED NATIONS ECONOMIC COMMISSION FOR EUROPE, AT THE NGO SESSION AT THE MINISTERIAL CONFERENCE "ENVIRONMENT FOR EUROPE" IN AARHUS, DENMARK

24 June 1998

International legal instruments take time to enter into force. For ECE environmental instruments, the time between signature and entry into force is usually 4 to 6 years. Fortunately, that does not mean that during that time the instruments are just gathering dust. Even before Conventions and Protocols formally come into effect, the Signatories and others cooperate to apply their principles and prepare their full application.

The Convention on Access to Information, Public Participation in Decision-making and Access to Justice in Environmental Matters deserves a lot of attention and action before entering into force. The momentum that has been created by the negotiations and this Ministerial Conference should be fully translated in work to promote its early entry into force. One of the key goals is to preserve and strengthen the network of cooperation which so successfully brought the Convention about.

The UN/ECE is ready to propose a work programme in order to jump-start the application of the principles of the Convention. Special attention will be given to assisting countries that wish to receive advice in speeding up the ratification process and building capacity for its implementation. In this work we need the broad participation of all relevant partners: the legal and scientific community, non-governmental groups, local authorities, the media, governmental representatives from different sectors. The ECE is not proposing to do everything itself, but will as the Convention's secretariat try to keep up the umbrella for cooperation and attempt to coordinate Convention-related activities to avoid overlapping and unnecessary competition between activities. We are proposing to establish a relatively small Advisory Board of high-level experts to assist in this work. This Advisory Board, while having a limited number of members, should consist of personalities with different backgrounds in terms of expertise, experience, geography and sectoral representativeness.

Awareness raising about the Convention is still a major challenge for all of us. We have to reach out to a broader public to fulfil the aims of the Convention. Only an active public can put flesh on the bones of the Convention. Only if the provisions of the Convention are fully used by the public and its representatives can it make a real difference.

Also in awareness raising do we need broad cooperation. Non-governmental organizations and the media are natural partners to governments and international organizations. The ECE Committee on Environmental Policy will discuss these issues at its meeting in late September this year when it establishes a work plan for the activities under the Convention. In this context, we hope that the NGOs will see opportunities and take the lead in implementing part of the work plan.

Now as the real practical work on the Convention starts we must also be prepared to face problems. The euphoria that environmental representatives rightly feel about the Convention is not necessarily shared by those who think that increased transparency and participation are a threat to their interests. We must be ready to combat administrative inertia, even resistance, from quarters that are reluctant to see the public at large "meddle in their business". But this comes as no great surprise. Anything new of the importance and magnitude of this Convention takes time to be fully appreciated and put into everyday practice. Meanwhile, we must not waver or lose heart. The challenges related to the full implementation of this Convention are so exciting and rewarding that we can envision this task as a historic mission. We are about to take a great leap in international cooperation for a better environment, for openness and democracy.

For more information, please contact: