Promotion of the Aarhus Convention`s principles focus of an OSCE organized seminar in Ashgabat

A two-day seminar dedicated to fostering the role of the Ombudsperson, Media and Youth in promoting Aarhus Convention principles took place in an online format on 24 and 25 June 2021. The OSCE Centre in Ashgabat organized the event.

The seminar brought together representatives from the Ministry of Agriculture and Environmental Protection and other relevant ministries, agencies and non-governmental organizations of Turkmenistan.

Participants were familiarized with best practices of OSCE participating States such as Georgia, Kazakhstan, Montenegro and Serbia, in the implementation of effective approaches towards engagement of the Ombudsperson, Media and Youth in the promotion of Aarhus Convention principles and access to justice on environmental matters.

The event engaged representatives from the UNECE Aarhus Convention Secretariat, the Chair of the Aarhus Convention Task Force on Access to Justice, the OCEEA/OSCE Secretariat and the Ministry of Environmental Protection and Agriculture of Georgia.

“The Aarhus Convention represents an important tool in achieving good environmental governance and environmental democracy. It grants the public rights and imposes on Parties and public authorities’ obligations regarding access to information, public participation and access to justice in environmental matters,” said Ivana Markovic Boskovic, Economic and Environmental Officer at the OSCE Centre in Ashgabat. “Since 2012, the OSCE Centre in Ashgabat has been supporting the host country in the implementation of the UNECE Aarhus Convention, through the Centre’s funded project — Aarhus Centre, hosted by the Tebigy Kuwwat non- government organization.”

This seminar is part of the project “Supporting the implementation of the Aarhus Convention and strengthening co-operation with Ombudsperson, Media and Youth on environmental issues.”