OSCE co-organizes workshop for judges on access to environmental justice in Kazakhstan
A two-day OSCE-supported training workshop for judges on access to justice in environmental matters began on 26 November 2014 in Karaganda, Kazakhstan.
Some 50 judges presiding over environmental cases from the Akmola, Karaganda, Kostanay, Pavlodar and Northern Kazakhstan regions and Astana as well as representatives of environmental non-governmental organizations participated in the workshop co-organized by the OSCE Centre in Astana, Kazakhstan’s Supreme Court and the Karaganda Regional Court.
The event aims to help consolidate the implementation of the Aarhus Convention and enhance co-operation among all stakeholders. The training is conducted by an international expert and member of European EcoForum as well as national environmental lawyers from civil society organizations. The participants will learn about the compliance of national legislation with the three pillars of the Aarhus Convention and international best practices in examination of cases on environmental matters. During the training the judges will be tasked to solve a number of practical exercises based on real cases.
The workshop is part of the Centre’s long-standing efforts to assist the host country in bridging the gaps in the national institutional and legal frameworks on the Aarhus Convention.