Further implementation of Aarhus Convention in Armenia discussed at OSCE-supported event

YEREVAN, 18 July 2007 - The effective implementation of the third pillar of the Aarhus environmental Convention, access to justice component, was the topic of a seminar organized with the support of the OSCE Office in Yerevan today.

It was attended by Justice Minister, Gevorg Danielyan, as well as judges, co-ordinators of Aarhus Centres and NGO representatives. They discussed articles of the Convention and their correlation to the national legislation. Using actual court cases, participants analyzed different scenarios of the Convention's application during court proceedings. Participants also shared knowledge gained at the international training course "Aarhus Convention and Access to Justice", held in Kiev in June. 

Minister Danielyan stressed the importance of harmonization of national environmental legislation with international conventions and thanked the OSCE for the support provided in this framework.

"OSCE places great importance on protecting the environmental rights of individuals. Our Office has helped establish a network of Public Environmental Information (Aarhus) Centres in Yerevan and in other regions of the country to help Armenia implement provisions of the Aarhus Convention, a founding legal and practical environmental document," said Jeannette Kloetzer, Acting Head of the OSCE Office.

She presented the Aarhus Centre in Yerevan , which marks its 5th anniversary, with an LCD projector and relevant equipment. This will help the Centre organize more presentations.

The seminar was part of a project implemented by the General Prosecutor's Office and the NGO Environmental Public Advocacy Centre with the support of the OSCE Office.