Protecting your environment

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UNITED NATIONS ECONOMIC COMMISSION FOR EUROPE

Quick guide to the Aarhus Convention

Protecting your environment

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ECE/MP.PP/9

Geneva, 2014

UNITED NATIONS ECONOMIC COMMISSION FOR EUROPE

Quick guide to the Aarhus Convention

Protecting your environment

The power is in your hands

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Ban Ki-moon, Secretary-General of the United Nations

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PROTECTING YOUR ENVIRONMENT: THE POWER IS IN YOUR HANDS | 3

CONTENT

I. CREATING THE RIGHT ENVIRONMENT 5

Unique principles and mechanisms 5

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,,, 7+(32:(52)7+5((Ǡ<2855,*+7681'(57+(&219(17,21 The right to have access to environmental information 15

The right to participate 19

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IV. STRENGTHENING THE CONVENTION 25

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CREATING THE RIGHT

ENVIRONMENT

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Now take few minutes to read how you can help shape your environment so that it remains healthy and safe, for you and

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A Fragile Balance

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developments like these can make our lives, and the lives of future generations,

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6 | PROTECTING YOUR ENVIRONMENT: THE POWER IS IN YOUR HANDS

The Power of Three

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It gives you three core rights:

The right

to participate

The right

to justice

The right to

information

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It has three region-wide, expert task forces, which work continuously to improve and share good practices in the implementation of each of the

&RQYHQWLRQoVWKUHHSLOODUV Three core rights at its centre

The Aarhus Convention gives you the right to:

AIM OF THE CONVENTION

“In order to contribute to the protection of the right of every person of present and future generations to live in an environment adequate to his or her health and well-being, each Party shall guarantee the rights of access to information, public participation in decision-making, and access to justice in environmental matters in accordance with the provisions of this Convention.”

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The right to information

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Access to environmental information held by public authorities upon request. In addition, public authorities must actively collect and disseminate certain types of environmental information.

The right to participate

Participate in decision-making on decisions to permit

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environment and during the preparation of plans, programmes, policies and legislation relating to the environment.

The right to justice

Access to justice regarding environmental matters to challenge a refusal or inadequate response to request for information; to challenge the legality of a plan or

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challenge actions or omissions that contravene national environmental law. 5HDGPRUHRQWKH&RQYHQWLRQoVSRZHURIWKUHHLQ3DUW,,,

Strengthening democracy

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Unique principles and mechanisms

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Non-discriminatory

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Duty to our children

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equal right and duty to environmental protection and human rights today, it also

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Living document

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water management, greening the economy, environment and health and the

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Ongoing reviews

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Aarhus Convention Compliance Committee, which

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addition, Parties must report on their progress in implementing the Convention at regular intervals,

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national implementation reports to sessions of

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political priorities at the national level and are continuously

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…and presence at international forums

Parties to the Convention are required to promote the principles of the Convention

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FROM RIO TO

AARHUS

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Aarhus enshrines Principle 10

of the 1992 Rio Declaration on Environment

and Development

Principle 10:

Environmental issues are best handled with the participation of all concerned citizens, at the relevant level. At the national level, each individual shall have appropriate access to information concerning the environment that is held by public authorities, including information on hazardous materials and activities in their communities, and the opportunity to participate in decision-making processes. States shall facilitate and encourage public awareness and participation by making

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proceedings, including redress and remedy, shall be provided.

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1992

1993 1994

1995

1996 1997

1998

1999

2000

2001

2002

2003

2004

2005

2006 2007 2008

2009

2010

2011

2012

2013

2014

Aarhus

Convention

developments

Year

Relevant

environmental

developments

around the

world

Earth Summit The Rio Declaration on Environment and Development adopted: Principle 10 stresses that environmental issues are best handled with the participation of all concerned citizens Convention on the Protection and Use of Transboundary Watercourses and International Lakes (Water Convention) adopted: Includes provisions on public information concerning the protection and use of transboundary waters Guidelines on Access to Environmental Information and Public Participation in Environmental Decision-

making (Sofia Guidelines) adopted in Sofia, Bulgaria, by ECE member

States to put Principle 10 into practice

1992

1993 1994

1995

1996 1997

1998

1999

2000

2001

2002

2003

2004

2005

2006 2007 2008

2009

2010

2011

2012

2013

2014

Aarhus

Convention

developments

Year

Relevant

environmental

developments

around the

world

Earth Summit The Rio Declaration on Environment and Development adopted: Principle 10 stresses that environmental issues are best handled with the participation of all concerned citizens Convention on the Protection and Use of Transboundary Watercourses and International Lakes (Water Convention) adopted: Includes provisions on public information concerning the protection and use of transboundary waters

United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) adopts Guidelines for the Development of National Legislation on Access to Information, Public Participation and Access to Justice in Environmental Matters, in Bali, Indonesia (Bali Guidelines). Aarhus Parties play an active part in the negotiation of the Guidelines United Nations Human Rights Council appoints new Special Rapporteur on the implications for human rights of the environmentally sound management and disposal of hazardous substances and wastes

United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development (Rio+20 Conference) held in Rio

de Janeiro, where 192 Governments renew

their political commitment to sustainable

development. Also, a number of Latin American

and Caribbean countries adopt a declaration launching a process to explore the feasibility of adopting a regional instrument on Principle 10 United Nations Human Rights Council appoints

first Independent Expert on the issue of human

rights obligations relating to the enjoyment

of a safe, clean, healthy and sustainable environment to, among other things, promote

best practices relating to the use of human rights in environmental policymaking Protocol on Water and

Health to the Water Convention adopted. The Protocol aims to protect human health and well-being by better water management and

is the first international

instrument to take Aarhus provisions on board Millennium Development Goals established following the Millennium Summit of the United Nations World Summit on Sustainable Development, Johannesburg, South Africa Second meeting of the Signatories to the Aarhus Convention Kyiv Protocol on Pollutant Release and Transfer Registers (Protocol on PRTRs) is adopted as a protocol to the Aarhus Convention Aarhus Clearinghouse launched to share Aarhus-related news and resources through an collaborative online public database

Protocol on PRTRs

enters into force. Status report as of early 2014: Aarhus ratified by 47 Parties, including the European Union Protocol on PRTRs ratified by 33 Parties,

including the European Union

More than 90 communications from the public

and 1 submission from a Party made to the

Aarhus Convention Compliance Committee,

making it a powerful tool for ensuring the implementation of the Convention Aarhus Convention

enters into force

First session of the Meeting of the

Parties is held in Lucca, Italy

Aarhus Convention Compliance Committee is established as a consultative and non-confrontational mechanism to review compliance by individual Parties Task Force on Access to Justice is established to provide a platform for

sharing information, experiences and

good practices related to access to justice

Second session of the Meeting of the Parties held

in Almaty, Kazakhstan

Meeting of the Parties adopts amendment to the Convention on public participation in decisions

on genetically modified organisms (GMO

amendment) Also adopts guidelines on promoting the application of the principles of the Convention in international forums (Almaty Guidelines) Aarhus Convention is

adopted at the Fourth “Environment for Europe” Ministerial

Conference in Aarhus,

Denmark

Task Force on Public Participation in Decision- making is established to improve implementation of the Convention’s provisions on public participation

Third session of the Meeting of the Parties is held in Chisinau,

Republic of Moldova

Chisinau Declaration is adopted, recognizing the contribution of the Aarhus Convention to putting Principle 10 into practice,

emphasizing particularly the role the Convention can play

in achieving a green economy and good governance, and

acknowledging the work still to be done

Aarhus Convention’s Task Force on Access to Information is established to strengthen implementation of the Convention’s provisions on access to information

First Meeting of Signatories to the Aarhus Convention

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human rights and environmental

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Good JRYHUQDQFH The Convention helps strengthen democracy E\UHTXLULQJJUHDWHU transparency and DFFRXQWDELOLW\LQWKH actions of decision PDNHUV The green economy Ensuring a green and truly sustainable economy requires the

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The Convention helps countries strike a sustainable balance for development and allows every person to have a say in shaping their environment. :DWHU management The Aarhus Convention provides WKHSXEOLFZLWKWKH right to participate in water management DQGLQWUDQVERXQGDU\ ZDWHUFRRSHUDWLRQ Nuclear energy The Convention provides a clear framework for HƪHFWLYHGLDORJXHRQ nuclear issues. Aarhus Convention

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THE POWER OF THREE

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_{YOUR RIGHTS}

UNDER THE

CONVENTION

III

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(b) Factors, such as substances, energy, noise and radiation, and activities or measures, including administrative measures, environmental agreements, policies, legislation,

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economic analyses and assumptions used in environmental decision-making;

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(c) The state of human health and safety, conditions of human life, cultural sites and built structures, inasmuch as they

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environment or, through these elements, by the factors, activities or measures referred to in subparagraph (b) above.

STATE OF

HABITAT

(a) The state of elements of the environment, such as air and atmosphere, water, soil, land, landscape and natural sites, biological diversity and its components, including

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OF THE

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Material form

Information in written, visual, aural, electronic or any other

material form.

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(Article 2, paragraph 3)

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of a Party to the Convention, or any

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in a Party, for a wide range of environmental information, from air quality to noise levels to economic analyses used in environmental

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you are requesting the information, or located near the area you are requesting

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PortalU — The German

Environmental Information Portal (www.portalu.de) — provides quick and simple public access to a wide range of environmental information, documents, data and digital maps. It is a one- stop shop to access environmentally relevant web pages, data catalogues and databases from over 450 public organizations in Germany. You can search

through the whole information range

or search selectively through single environmental topics, digital maps, measured data, press information or historical events.

It is like having an entire environmental State library at your

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providing active access to information, as set out in the Aarhus Convention.

On the site, it’s possible to check for the latest news or monitoring data relating to air quality, or get up-to-the-minute information on a legislative proposal or adopted law on waste management. You can search multiple sources of information on an environmental matter from across the German federal states and local authorities, as well as other resources often not accessible through Internet search engines. This website is just

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access to information. Austria, Serbia, and Georgia, as well as several other countries in the ECE region, have established similar sites or portals.

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PROTECTING YOUR ENVIRONMENT: THE POWER IS IN YOUR HANDS | 19 3XEOLFSDUWLFLSDWLRQLQGHFLVLRQPDNLQJLVDWWKHKHDUWRIWKH$DUKXV&RQYHQWLRQ,I WKHSXEOLFLVDEOHWRSDUWLFLSDWHLQGHFLVLRQVUHODWLQJWRWKHHQYLURQPHQWIURPWKH RXWVHWLWLVOLNHO\WKDWWKHƬQDORXWFRPHRIDSURMHFWRUGHYHORSPHQWZLOOEHPRUH DFFHSWDEOHWRWKHPPRUHVXVWDLQDEOHDQGOHVVKDUPIXOWRWKHHQYLURQPHQW,WDOVR PHDQVWKDWKLGGHQRUXQH[SHFWHGDVSHFWVRIDSURSRVHGDFWLYLW\FDQEHXQFRYHUHG HDUO\KHOSLQJWRDYRLGFRVWO\PLVWDNHV 7KH&RQYHQWLRQUHTXLUHV3DUWLHVWRSURYLGHIRUHDUO\DQGHƪHFWLYHSXEOLFSDUWLFLSDWLRQ

when all options are still open, on decisions to permit certain types of activities and

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pillar is closely linked with the other two pillars: to participate in a meaningful way you must have access to all the information relevant to the

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enshrined in the Aarhus Convention

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participation in decision-making

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Early notice of the environmental decision-making procedure,

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things:

• The proposed activity

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time frames and opportunities to participate)

Early public participation, when all options are open is a

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participation

Prompt notice of decision

If operating conditions are reconsidered

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repeated, as appropriate

The public is entitled to submit any comments,

information, analyses or opinions it considers relevant to the proposed activity, in writing or, as appropriate at a public hearing or inquiry

The competent public authority must ensure due account is taken of the outcome of the public participation

The public must be promptly informed of the decision.

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with the reasons and considerations on which it is based

If the public authority reconsiders or updates the operating conditions for the activity, the above requirements should be applied again as appropriate

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Nordland County is located along the north-west coast of Norway. Nordland County Council developed a Regional Plan for Climate Change to inform people about the impact of climate change on the fragile coastal province they are living in. The Council wanted to raise public awareness, to create debate about climate change and energy issues and to get feedback on the Regional Plan from

a wide range of people. The Council also hoped that, if people knew and understood the risks of climate change, they would be more receptive to changing their energy use, thus helping to reduce greenhouse gases.

So, the Council took to the road — moving from town to town by electric car and setting up information tents at markets and in town squares to talk to people face to face about climate change and how it related to their daily life. The Council worked

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social media to encourage input from young people in particular. A notable success from the road trip was the increased level of engagement by those, like older people or children, who might have not otherwise had had the chance to participate.

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administrative review procedures to challenge:

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• The legality of a decision, act or

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On the Canary Island of Tenerife, a private company wished to develop a port in a marine area in which a threatened species of sea-grass was found. The public authority issued an order to remove the species of sea-grass — Cymodea Nodosa — from the catalogue of threatened species on the islands.

At the application of an environmental NGO, Federación

Ecologista Ben Magec, Ecologistas en Acción, the Court granted an interim measure to suspend the order from coming into force. The national and regional governments, together with the private company involved, contested the decision. They argued that the suspension of the port development would cause irreparable damage to the public interest because of the project’s socioeconomic potential. In their view, the economic public interest outweighed any interest in protecting the sea-grass.

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suspension of works on the Port.

Moreover, even though national legislation stated that a bond

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required before the grant of injunctive relief, the Court decided

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the NGO’s right of access to justice under the Convention. While the Court was entirely aware of the economic consequences of the port project being halted, it was also aware that if the injunction were subject to a compensation bond, the NGO would not be able to continue with its application, meaning that the injunction would inevitably be lifted and resulting in irreversible damage to the sea-grass and the environment.

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to ensure that its implementation at the national level is continuously

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Specialized task forces and a work programme of

activities

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Monitoring national implementation

National implementation of the Convention is monitored and evaluated through

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In 2007 the NGO Alliance for the Protection of the Vlora Gulf submitted a communication to the Aarhus Convention Compliance Committee alleging that local communities had not been informed or consulted, as the Aarhus Convention requires, about plans by the Albanian authorities to establish a major industrial and energy park north of the port of Vlora on the Adriatic coast. The project included plans for oil and gas pipelines, installations for

the storage of petroleum, three thermal power plants and a

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National Park.

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complied with the Convention. The Albanian authorities had issued the planning decision for the industrial energy park and the thermal electrical power station without properly informing and consulting with the public concerned as the Convention required. The Committee also found that the Government’s regulatory framework was not clear, transparent and consistent. It made recommendations on how Albania could improve its

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to provide advice and assistance to the Party concerned in implementing the Committee’s recommendations.

At its third session in 2008, the Meeting of the Parties endorsed

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the Committee monitored Albania’s progress in implementing the Committee’s recommendations and Albania reported on the

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could participate in similar plans and activities, including follow-up phases of the Vlora project. In its report to the fourth session of the Meeting of the Parties in 2011, the Committee considered

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no longer in a state of non-compliance.

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Compliance mechanism

In addition, the Convention has an innovative compliance review

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a special compliance committee made up of independent

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underpins the openness and transparency of the

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can make communications

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From communication to compliance — how

the Compliance Committee works to ensure

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The communication is submitted, preferably by e-mail, to the secretariat.

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The Committee determines communication’s provisional admissibility and appoints its member as a curator. If the communication is found inadmissible, a datasheet on its basic facts is made available online and

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The Committee starts its deliberations once a response to the communication is received from the Party concerned (or if there is no timely response). Depending on the response, the Committee may send additional written questions to either or both parties.

Communication is forwarded to Party concerned for response

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raise concerns it may have about the admissibility. The Committee may send written questions to either or both parties. All documentation is posted online.

Oral hearing

An oral hearing may be held in open session in the presence of both parties. At the hearing both parties are invited to make statements, as well as to answer questions from the Committee. Observers also have an

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admissibility. The Committee may ask the parties to respond to additional questions in writing after the hearing.

Registration

The secretariat registers the communication, checks it and acknowledges its receipt.

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Implementation of recommendations pending the next session of the Meeting of the Parties

In the intersessional period, the Committee monitors the progress made by the Party, also considering any comments from the

communicant and observers, and makes a report on the Party’s progress to

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adopt a further decision on non-compliance concerning that Party. The Committee will monitor the Party’s progress until it enters into compliance.

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of the Parties for its endorsement, together with any report on the Party’s progress to implement the Committee’s recommendations in the meantime. If the Committee found the Party concerned to be in non-compliance, the Meeting of the

Parties may adopt a decision on compliance concerning that Party.

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Recommendations to the Party pending the next session of the Meeting of the Parties

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by the Meeting of the Parties and subject to the agreement of the Party,

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about steps that Party should take to come into compliance. In this way, the

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session of the Meeting of the Parties.

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The Committee, having considered the comments received from

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session of the Meeting of the Parties for its endorsement.

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comments and posted online.

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The Aarhus Convention is always evolving to keep pace with emerging issues and

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Amendment on GMOs

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competition among companies to reduce their polluting releases and is now

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Promoting public participation in international forums

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Parties should also push for greater openness and transparency in international

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advisory assistance is also provided to interested international forums to support

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Convention include countries all along the economic spectrum, from some of the

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In addition, the Convention is serving as a living, tried and tested, model for more participatory, transparent governance on environmental

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Aarhus Convention as a model for the development

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addition, the principles of the Aarhus Convention have

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Key players in the daily life

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An important strength of the Convention lies in its multilateral

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Group of the Parties, the task forces and the Compliance Committee, as well as a permanent

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institutional framework assists Parties in implementing the Convention, including

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and good practices, preparing guidance material and recommendations, developing legally

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the implementation of the Convention, however,

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Parties

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legislative, regulatory and other measures, as well as proper enforcement measures,

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International organizations

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Aarhus Centres and Public Environmental Information Centres

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at the national and local levels in many countries, providing information and support

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For more information: Aarhus Convention website

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Aarhus Convention Implementation Guide, second edition http://www.unece.org/env/pp/publications/aig

Contacts:

Aarhus Convention secretariat Environment Division

United Nations Economic Commission for Europe Palais des Nations, 1211 Geneva 10, Switzerland

Email: [email protected] /LVWRI$DUKXV&RQYHQWLRQQDWLRQDOIRFDOSRLQWV

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T he UNECE En vir onment Division

Designed and printed by the Publishing Service, United Nations, Geneva — GE.13-26761 — April 2014 — 8,000 — ECE/MP.PP/9

For more information, please contact us at:

Aarhus Convention secretariat UNECE

Palais des Nations

CH-1211 Geneva 10, Switzerland Phone: +41 22 917 2376

email: [email protected]