|
| FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Countries meet to negotiate an international Convention to strengthen environmental democracy Rome, 30 November 1997 - Tomorrow, representatives from over 30 countries meet here to continue negotiations on a Convention to strengthen the role of the public as an environmental watchdog. This is the latest in a series of negotiating sessions to draft this UNECE Convention on Access to Environmental Information and Public Participation in Environmental Decision-Making. "This offers one of the last opportunities to thrash out a meaningful Convention that empowers organisations and individuals with information, assures their participation in environmental decision-making and secures proper access to justice" said Jeremy Wates, Co-ordinator of the delegation representing the coalition of Environmental Citizens’ Organisations (ECOs) in the Working Group drafting the Convention. ECOs want to see key weaknesses of the draft Convention addressed during this session. With respect to access to information provisions, there are no explicit references to food and genetically modified organisms (GMOs) in the definition of environmental information. Excessively long time limits are proposed for responding to information requests from the public. ECOs are demanding that reporting of pollution by industry be made compulsory and include not only toxic substances, but also GMOs. Information should be provided in the form requested, where available, and certain data placed on the Internet. The Convention needs to assure public participation not only in decisions regarding proposed activities, but also input into the formulation of rules, policies, plans and programmes. The definition of "the public concerned" should be as broad as possible. Although the draft Convention acknowledges the need for access to justice, ECOs argue that it needs to provide not only the right to complain about infringements of the Convention, but also the right to sue both public and private bodies for breach of environmental laws in general. According to Peter Roderick, legal expert with Friends of the Earth and another member of the ECO delegation, "With proper access to justice provisions, this Convention could enable the public to play a much greater role in the enforcement of environmental laws. To achieve this, legal and financial obstacles must be removed to give citizens and NGOs access to the courts." The ECO representative from the NIS countries, Olga Razbash of the Moscow-based Public Interest Environmental Law Center for Human Rights and Environmental Protection, is anxious to see the Convention tackle fundamental civil liberty issues: "It needs to protect people exercising their rights under the Convention from being penalised, harassed or persecuted. Without protection also for whistle-blowers, the effectiveness of the Convention will be diminished". ECOs have encountered many obstacles in the negotiations but are determined to challenge governments to defend the interests of the public they are supposed to represent. "To date, a small number of governments, notably Russia and Germany, have obstructed almost every proposal to strengthen the rights of the public. Meanwhile, progressive governments are too silent. This will have to change if we are to make progress", added Wates. ENDS For Further Information: Jeremy Wates/Peter Roderick/Olga Razbash: mara.silina@foeeurope.org - Public Participation Campaign - webmaster |
