A two-day sub-regional conference on the implementation of the UNECE Convention on Access to Information, Public Participation in Decision-Making and Access to Justice in Environmental Matters (the Aarhus Convention) started on Tuesday in Almaty.
Seventy-five representatives of the government, judiciary, civil society and international experts from Central Asia and Europe, as well as Mongolia will participate in the conference. In the framework of the event two specialized workshops for high-level judges and for representatives of Aarhus Centres from Central Asia and non-governmental organizations will be held, the OSCE Centre in Astana reports.
In a message to the participants, Goran Svilanovic, the OSCE Co-ordinator of OSCE Economic and Environmental Activities said: "Addressing environmental challenges to security requires co-operation between and within countries and among a variety of stakeholders, including civil society, and the Aarhus Convention provides an exceptional tool to this end."
"For ten years now, we have been supporting the implementation of this Convention in the OSCE region, particularly through the establishment of Aarhus Centres. Currently, 37 Aarhus Centres in ten countries facilitate partnership between the government and civil society on environmental issues." Svilanovic added that the Aarhus Centres are supported by a number of OSCE participating States and by the Environment and Security (ENVSEC) Initiative.
Anatoliy Dernovoy, the Executive Secretary of the Ministry of Environmental Protection of Kazakhstan, said: "In 2009, Kazakhstan launched two Aarhus Centres; today already six of them cover the most vulnerable areas of the country. Therefore it is not a coincidence that Kazakhstan is hosting this important sub-regional meeting."
Vladimir Borisov, Judge of the Supreme Court of Kazakhstan and Chair of the National Union of Judges, noted: "The Aarhus Convention can not be fully implemented if courts are unable to properly assess the role of all its three pillars - access to information, public participation in decision-making, and access to justice in environmental matters."
Jeannette Kloetzer, Deputy Head of the OSCE Centre in Astana, emphasized: "The Aarhus Centres provide an excellent platform for promoting dialogue between authorities and non-governmental organizations on environmental protection issues. The broad participation of the public and civil society in managing environmental issues promotes sustainable development, and enhances security and democracy."
The conference was co-organized by the OSCE Centre in Astana, the Office of the Co-ordinator of OSCE Economic and Environmental Activities and the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE) Aarhus Convention Secretariat, in close partnership with the Supreme Court and the Environmental Protection Ministry of Kazakhstan.
