Bishkek, July 19 / Kabar /. The planned opening of Kyrgyzstan’s second Aarhus Centre and details to its future activities were discussed at an OSCE-supported roundtable meeting in Bishkek today.
The Aarhus Centres have been created to support the implementation of the United Nations Convention on Access to Information, Public Participation in Decision-making and Access to Justice in Environmental Matters, also known as the Aarhus Convention. The OSCE has been supporting the establishment of Aarhus Centres for more than 10 years. There are currently 43 Aarhus Centres in 13 countries in Europe, South Caucasus, and Central Asia.
“The new Aarhus Centre in northern Kyrgyzstan will raise awareness about environmental hazards, help mitigate conflicts and tensions over natural resources, and promote a constructive dialogue among those involved in environmental issues,” said Yulia Minaeva, the OSCE Centre in Bishkek’s Senior Economic and Environmental Officer. “It will also play a central role in helping the public obtain access to environmental information and to justice on environmental issues.”
Jibarkul Bekkulova, Chief of the Ecological Strategy and Policy Department of Kyrgystan’s State Agency for Environmental Protection and Forestry, said: “Since the Aarhus Centre in Osh mainly works in southern Kyrgyzstan, there has been a high demand for a new Centre in Bishkek focusing on activities in the north as well. The Centre in Bishkek will help the State Agency improve its co-operation with civil society, distribute information and raise awareness on environmental matters. Its work will also include public hearings and discussions on a variety of environmental topics”.
The Aarhus Convention was signed in 1998. It is currently ratified by 45 European and Central Asian nations, as well as the European Union. Kyrgyzstan ratified the Convention in 2001; with support by the OSCE, an Aarhus Centre was established in Osh in 2004. This Centre specialises on issues such as sustainable mining; biodiversity conservation; participatory environmental assessments and action planning; compliance with environmental legislation; and the monitoring of uranium tailing sites. It also involves youth in environmental protection, promotes environmental journalism and strengthens the dialogue between government and civil society on environmental issues.
