OSCE supports training seminar for Kyrgyz judges on facilitating citizens’ access to justice on environmental issues

OSH, Kyrgyzstan, 4 November 2016 – The OSCE Centre in Bishkek supported Kyrgyzstan’s Aarhus Centre Network and the Training Centre of the country’s Supreme Court to conduct training for judges on facilitating citizens’ access to justice on environmental matters, thereby fostering the implementation of the third pillar of the Aarhus Convention.

The event was attended by twenty judges from the southern Osh, Batken and Jalal-Abad regions. The participants improved their knowledge about citizens’ rights on environmental issues and learned about existing problems related to the national environmental legislation.

“Raising awareness and improving the qualifications of the judiciary on environmental issues is the key to ensuring equitable and sustainable exploitation of the natural resources,” noted Adil Nurbekov, Director of the Aarhus Centre in Bishkek.

Dmitriy Prudskikh, Environmental Officer at the OSCE Centre in Bishkek, said: “This training will help citizens and private entities to have their environmental rights protected.”

A similar training course will take place in Bishkek on 11 November for judges from the northern regions. Both events are organized as part of the OSCE Centre’s project on promoting environmental security through dialogue and enhanced disaster risk reduction.