OSCE Mission supports opening of Aarhus public environmental Centre in Tbilisi

TBILISI, 19 December 2005 - An Aarhus public environmental information Centre, supported by the OSCE Mission to Georgia, today opened in Tbilisi. It will offer access to a specialized library, the Internet, legal expertise and other environmental information.

The centre is an example of close co-operation with the Ministry of Environment Protection and National Resources.

"The Aarhus Centre has been established to support institutional development in Georgia, and will serve the needs of all those individuals who are interested in the country's environmental situation and who could contribute to decision-making in this area," said Ambassador Roy Reeve, Head of the OSCE Mission.

"It will fundamentally strengthen the relationship between the Government and the public, and help Georgia in its work to fulfill its international obligations."

The Aarhus Convention, which has been ratified by Georgia, is based on three pillars - access to Information, public participation in decision-making, and access to justice in environmental matters.

The Tbilisi Aarhus Centre will serve as a venue for public discussions, meetings of non-governmental organizations (NGOs), seminars on environmental issues and other public activities. The management of the Centre will involve members of the government, civil society, as well as experts from NGOs, the academia and international organizations.