The EU funded the implementation and promotion of the Aarhus Convention on access to information, public participation in decision-making and access to justice in environmental matters in Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Georgia, Moldova and Ukraine.

The project worked on the improvement of the quality of environmental protection and environmental decisions by incorporating public interests. It provided assistance to public officials, NGOs, the media and other sectors of civil society to implement the Convention on Access to Information, Public Participation in Decision-Making and Access to Justice in Environmental Matters - Aarhus Convention.

The project was implemented in each country by a team of national experts (so called National Teams) in partnership with an International Team, the Ministries of Environment and other stakeholders in the countries.

The 2.5 year project consisted of training to the stakeholders, preparation of materials, pilot projects and promotional activities around the Aarhus Convention.

The experts in consultation with the project stakeholders developed comprehensive Aarhus Convention Regional User Guides and six National User Guides and training materials. Each of the documents is published in two versions, one for officials and one for civil society. The User Guides include information, step-by-step procedures, best practice and case studies on the Aarhus Convention. They can be used as a resource for officials, individuals and organizations in all EECCA countries. The Regional User Guides and training materials are available in Russian and English. The national User Guides are available in Russian and the national languages.
The documents can be found at: www.rec.org/REC/Programs/PublicParticipation/PublicAwareness

 

Margriet Hartman
T +31 (0)10 2865 505
E Margriet Hartman