New Aarhus Centre opens in Kotayk region of Armenia with OSCE support

YEREVAN, 5 December 2007 - An Aarhus public environmental information Centre opened in Hrazdan, Kotayk province of Armenia, today.

"Aarhus Centres are catalysts, advocates, educators and facilitators of sustainable development. The Centre will help in capacity-building, and in developing co-operation and dialogue among all parties involved in environmental issues," said Ambassador Sergey Kapinos, the Head of the OSCE Office.

"Such centres play a significant role in promoting environmental education in Armenia by conducting public hearings and enhancing public participation on the local level to ensure a democratic decision-making process."

The Centre will work with a wide range of partners, including the provincial administration, non-governmental and international organizations, the private sector and civil society.

"The Aarhus Centre will serve as an outreach tool for local authorities, it will help increase awareness on environmental topics among the population, bring international experience to the region, and help develop environmentally sound programmes," said Kovalenko Shahgaldyan, the Governor of Kotayk province.

The initiative to open the Centre was supported by the Ministry of Nature Protection and the Ministry of Education and Science.

On 12 December, an Aarhus Centre will open in Gyumri, Shirak province. It will be the ninth such Centre in Armenia.