Today the UK ratified the Aarhus Convention of the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE), covering the public's involvement in three areas of environmental democracy; access to environmental information, participation in environmental decision-making and access to justice in environmental matters.<?xml:namespace prefix = o ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office" />
The Convention directly supports one of the guiding principles of sustainable development, that places importance on a transparent system of governance which has the full involvement of stakeholders. It sets out international standards on how to engage the public in environmental issues and to improve the quality and effectiveness of decisions through their involvement.
A UK Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs spokesperson said: "Over recent years, the EU and the UK have taken steps to improve people's ability to have a say in the quality of their environment. We are also encouraging other countries to make progress in this area, in particular in the Eastern European, Caucasus and Central Asian Region. UK ratification of the Aarhus Convention confirms our commitment to the best principles of environmental democracy, both at home and abroad."
