Geneva, 12 March 1999
GREEN RIGHTS
CONVENTION TAKES WORLD BY STORM
"International interest in strengthening
democratic action on the environment is booming," says Kaj Bärlund, Director of the Environment
and Human Settlements Division of the United Nations Economic
Commission for Europe (UN/ECE). "Well focused and practical international
legislation will help to increase transparency and underpin
citizens' environmental rights. It is also a step towards
deepening democracy in our society, wherever we may live." This may explain the current success of the
UN/ECE Convention on Access to Information, Public Participation
in Decision-making and Access to Justice in Environmental Matters
both in the region and beyond.
In response to the growing
interest around the world, the UN/ECE Convention was presented at
the 20th session of the Governing Council of the
United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) in Nairobi. The
Council recommended that UNEP should take steps to promote access
to information, public participation in decision-making and
access to justice in environmental matters worldwide.
Last week, as one of the first
fruits of this cooperation, the Convention was put on the agenda
of the 2nd Southeast Asia Regional Symposium on the
Role of the Judiciary in promoting the Rule of Law in the area of
Sustainable Development, organized by UNEP in Manila, the
Philippines. Justices of Supreme Courts from 10 countries of that
region attended the Symposium. They expressed great interest in
promoting the values spelt out in the Convention and agreed that
such a codification of environmental rights helps to strengthen
the rule of law in the area of sustainable development.
The Convention was also widely
discussed at the 5th International Conference on
Environmental Compliance and Enforcement, in Monterey,
California. This biennial gathering brings together environmental
regulators and enforcers from the four corners of the globe.
According to them, access to information and public participation
have already made it easier to monitor compliance with
environmental laws and to enforce them. As members of the public
get involved, they can bolster the often limited capacities of
the authorities to go after polluters. The Convention will
further strengthen these practices.
A record 39 of the UN/ECE's 55
member States and the European Community have already signed up
to it.* Others will follow suit. Countries as diverse as Albania,
Denmark, Georgia, Hungary and Lithuania are now putting
legislation in place to give their citizens a stronger voice in
environmental decision-making. And as individual citizens and
their pressure groups make use of their environmental rights,
these are undoubtedly becoming a vehicle for grass-roots
democracy. No wonder that the Convention is attracting attention
worldwide.
The Convention requires that
clear environmental information be given to the public. It also
provides an opportunity for people to express their opinions and
concerns on environmental matters and ensures account is taken of
them. In short, the Convention enables members of the public to
play an active role in protecting and improving the environment
for the benefit of future generations.
The next step will be the
meeting of the Signatories to the Convention in Chisinau, the
capital of the Republic of Moldova, on 19-21 April. Less than one
year after the Convention's adoption in Aarhus, the Signatories
will meet for the first time to review its application to (I)
genetically modified organisms (GMOs) and (ii) pollution release
and transfer registers, and more generally to promote the
Convention's ratification and implementation. In addition to
UN/ECE member countries, a wide range of partners like NGOs, the
business community, local authorities, international
organizations and the media will attend the meeting. It is
expected that the Convention will enter into force in the
year 2000.
_____________
* Albania, Armenia, Austria,
Belarus, Belgium, Bulgaria, Croatia, Cyprus, the Czech Republic,
Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Georgia, Germany, Greece,
Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Kazakhstan, Latvia,
Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, Monaco, the
Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, the Republic of Moldova,
Romania, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Ukraine, the
United Kingdom and the European Community.
For more information,
please contact:
Mr Kaj Bärlund, Director
UN/ECE Environment and Human Settlements Division
Palais des Nations, office 334
CH - 1211 Geneva 10
Switzerland
Phone: (+41 22) 917 23 70
Fax: (+41 22) 907 01 07