Armenia's national-judicial staff debate constitutional amendments to underpin sustainable development

YEREVAN, 2 August 2005 - Judges, prosecutors, and staff members of Armenia's Constitutional Court met today in Yerevan to discuss constitutional guarantees for sustainable development in the country.

The event, which was organized by the OSCE Office in Yerevan together with the United Nations Development Programme, among others, was aimed at introducing key principles of sustainable development to the participants, highlighting the need to incorporate these principles in the Armenian constitution. The participants also discussed aspects of the Aarhus process as well as the UN Millennium Goals relevant to Armenia.

"Meaningful discussions about sustainable development are of particular importance at the current stage, when the draft constitutional amendments are being finalized," said Ambassador Vladimir Pryakhin, Head of the OSCE Office. "Such debates make sure that these essential principles are incorporated in the main body of Armenia's legal framework."

The Chairman of the Constitutional Court, Gagik Harutyunyan, also welcomed the initiative. "Such meetings serve as an inspiration for future work in this field," he said.

Karine Danielyan, President of the Association for Sustainable Development and Chairperson of the UN Environmental Programme's National Committee, welcomed the event as a further step to take into account international expertise and the principles of sustainable development in the process of amending the Constitution.

The event was co-organized as a joint contribution to the UN Decade of Education for Sustainable Development by Armenia's Aarhus Centre, the Association for Sustainable Development, and the NGO, Constitutional Rights Centre.