The Aarhus Convention

The UN Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE) Convention on Access to Information, Public Participation in Decision-making and Access to Justice in Environmental Matters was adopted on 25th June 1998 in the Danish city of Aarhus at the Fourth Ministerial Conference in the 'Environment for Europe' process.

As its title suggests, the Convention contains three broad themes or 'pillars': access to information, public participation and access to justice.

" Although regional in scope, the significance of the Aarhus Convention is global. It is by far the most impressive elaboration of principle 10 of the Rio Declaration, which stresses the need for citizen's participation in environmental issues and for access to information on the environment held by public authorities."

"As such it is the most ambitious venture in the area of environmental democracy so far undertaken under the auspices of the United Nations."

Kofi A. Annan

Comment: Once the United States was the world's leader in guaranteeing the rights of its citizens to access to information and access to justice. Now we have to catch up with the Europeans. The Bush administration's dismal performance in allowing Americans access to information about the environment is the antithesis of that which our European cousins have achieved. JAD