A national forum of environmental organizations scheduled to take place in Polatsk, Vitsyebsk region, between June 28 and June 30 has been cancelled. The organizing committee for the forum was informed on June 26 that sewage was leaking in the hotel booked for the delegates, and that the restaurant where they were supposed to have their meals had been closed. In addition, the administration of the Polatsk city library withdrew its permission for the delegates to use its premises. The administration explained that the Polatsk District Executive Committee had not authorized a rental agreement with the organizers of the forum. Local officials, for their part, described the event as useless for people. The forum is expected to take place at another venue and on another date.
In an interview with BelaPAN, Iryna Sukhi, leader of an environmental group called Ecodom, said that the denial of a venue for the forum showed that the Belarusian government had no respect for civil society or regard for the Aarhus Convention on public participation in environmental decision-making. The biennial forum is attended by both environmentalists and government officials and serves as a platform for discussing environmental problems and strategies to solve them.The organizing committee for this year’s forum included the Society for the Protection of the Fatherland's Birds, Ecodom, Ecoprayekt, Partnyorstva (Partnership), Zyalyonaya Setka (Green Network), and the Center for Environmental Solutions. About 100 experts, environmental activists, foreign guests and journalists were expected to attend the event.
