World Summit on Sustainable Development
Side event: Participatory democracy and
good governance as fundamental tools for a human rights approach to sustainable
development
Monday, 26 August 2002, from 1.15 to 2.45 p.m.
Sandton Convention Centre, Ballroom 3
The United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE),
in cooperation with the Regional Environmental Center for Central and Eastern
Europe and the North-South Centre of the Council of Europe organize in the
context of the World Summit on Sustainable Development a side event on "Participatory
democracy and good governance as fundamental tools for a human rights approach
to sustainable development". It will take place on Monday, 26 August
2002, from 1.15 to 2.45 pm, in the Sandton Convention Centre (Johannesburg),
Ballroom 3.
This side event will focus on strengthening environmental rights and their
contribution to sustainable development within the framework of good governance,
and respect for human rights. It thereby aims to promote the principles of
the Rio Declaration on Environment and Development (in particular principle
10 on access to information, public participation in decision-making and access
to justice) and to integrate social and economic development and environmental
protection.
The discussions will highlight the importance of an integrated approach to
sustainable development and provide an opportunity for participants from different
regions to exchange information and perspectives on how the principles of
environmental democracy, human rights and good governance in sustainable development
may be put into practice, taking the Aarhus Convention1 as an example of how one region has addressed the issue.
Ms. Brigita Schmögnerová, Executive Secretary, United
Nations Economic Commission for Europe, will chair the discussions and the
following panellists will give their views and perspectives on the issues:
Mr. Bozo Kovacevic, Minister of Environment, Croatia
Mr. Olivier Deleuze, Secretary of State for Energy and Sustainable
Development, Belgium
Mr. Victor Lichtinger, Minister of Environment, Mexico
Ms. Cheryl Gillwald, Deputy Minister of Justice, South Africa
Ms. Gabriella Dragoni Battaini, Director General, General Directorate
for Social Cohesion, Council of Europe
Mr. Alexander Juras, Deputy Executive Director, REC
Mr. Shafqat Kakakhel, Deputy Executive Director, UNEP
Prof. Ben Turok, Member of Parliament Committees: Finances; Trade
and Industry, South Africa
Representative of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe
Ms. Svitlana Kravchenko, European ECO Forum
For further information, please contact:
Mr. Jeremy Wates, Secretary to the Aarhus Convention
Environment and Human Settlements Division
United Nations Economic Commission for Europe
Palais des Nations
CH-1211 Geneva 10, Switzerland
Phone: +41(0)22 917 2384
Mobile phone: +41(0)79 202 6847
Fax: +41(0)22 907 0107
E-mail: [email protected]
Web site: www.unece.org/env/pp
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1 The UNECE Convention on Access to Information,
Public Participation in Decision-making and Access to Justice in Environmental
Matters was adopted in Aarhus, Denmark, in June 1998 and entered into force
in October 2001. It has been described by the UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan
as 'the most ambitious venture in environmental democracy undertaken under
the auspices of the United Nations [whose] adoption was a remarkable step
forward in the development of international law'.
Ref: ECE/ENV/02/06