The Aarhus Convention Compliance Committee

The UNECE Aarhus Convention provides for Access to Information, Public Participation in Decision Making and Access to Justice in Environmental Matters. The Convention was adopted in June 1998 is unique in many ways. The Aarhus Convention is the first international treaty with the purpose of granting rights directly to the public with regard to protection of the environment. Its focus is not the protection of the environment per se but the procedural rights of civil society to participate in decision-making that relates to environmental matters. The Convention links environmental rights and human rights and also recognises the right to a healthy environment for every individual.

What is unique about the Aarhus Convention is its Compliance Committee (ACCC). Article 15 of the Aarhus Convention requires the Meeting of the Parties to establish arrangements for reviewing compliance with the Convention. For that purpose a “ComplianceCommittee” has been mandated to discuss and decide on possible violations of the Convention. Not only is the compliance committee important in itself, but the possibility for the public (individuals, NGOs etc) to directly report possible violations of the Convention to the committee is unique in international environmental law. Full information about the ACCC and its work, including  information on the compliance cases, is at www.unece.org/env/pp/compliance.htm.

Who are the members of the Committee? The ACCC has nine members. Currently the chair person is Mr. Veit Koester (Denmark), and the vice chair person is Ms. Svitlana Kravchenko (Ukraine). Other members are:

• Mr. Jerzy Jendroska (Poland),
• Mr. Jonas Ebbesson (Sweden),
• Mr. Merab Barbakadze (Georgia),
• Mr. Alexander Kodjabashev (Bulgaria),
• Ms. Ellen Hey (Netherlands),
• Mr. Vadim Nee (Kazakhstan) and
• Mr. Gerhard Loibl (Austria).

Several of these people have had long associations with the Convention and even took part in the negotiations. All of Committee members serve in their personal capacity (not representing any country) but are nominated by Parties and, partly, NGOs (via European ECO Forum).