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OSCE supports workshop on waste processing and disposal in Armenia
YEREVAN 6 November 2007
YEREVAN, 6 November 2007 - Implementing proper processing and disposal of wastes in Armenia is the focus of a three-day workshop that started in Yerevan today.
"Mismanagement in the processing and disposal of wastes has a substantial impact on the health, welfare, stability and security of our countries and can upset ecological systems. This workshop helps to promote environmental security through co-operation and awareness, a key objective of the Environment and Security initiative," said Bernard Snoy, the Co-ordinator of OSCE Economic and Environmental Activities.
Armenia was among 36 states which joined the Protocol to the Aarhus Convention on Pollutant Release and Transfer Registers during the 2003 Ministerial Conference in Kiev. The protocol is the first legally binding international instrument in the field. It calls for creating coherent, nationwide pollutant release and transfer registers (PRTRs) as means to enhance public access to information.
Nune Hovhannissyan, of the Ministry of Nature Protection, added: "It is obvious that public participation in policy-making and implementation in different fields of social-economic development is a necessary precondition for achieving significant progress in sustainable development. We highly value OSCE efforts and co-operation with Armenia, which helped to create the necessary practical mechanism for implementing the Aarhus Convention."
The OSCE Office in Yerevan attaches a special importance to the implementation of the Aarhus Convention in Armenia by supporting the 9 Aarhus Centres throughout the country. The full implementation of the Protocol will increase corporate accountability, reduce pollution and contribute to sustainable development in the country.
The discussion is expected to raise awareness and accountability among representatives of state bodies, civil society, the private sector and experts. Two international experts will share their knowledge and exchange ideas with their Armenian colleagues. The conclusions of the workshop will be disseminated through Aarhus Centres.
The event was organized by the Armenian Ministry of Nature Protection within the "Environment and Security" initiative, with support from the OSCE Office in Yerevan, the Office of the Co-ordinator of OSCE Economic and Environmental Activities, and the Aarhus Secretariat of the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe.
"Mismanagement in the processing and disposal of wastes has a substantial impact on the health, welfare, stability and security of our countries and can upset ecological systems. This workshop helps to promote environmental security through co-operation and awareness, a key objective of the Environment and Security initiative," said Bernard Snoy, the Co-ordinator of OSCE Economic and Environmental Activities.
Armenia was among 36 states which joined the Protocol to the Aarhus Convention on Pollutant Release and Transfer Registers during the 2003 Ministerial Conference in Kiev. The protocol is the first legally binding international instrument in the field. It calls for creating coherent, nationwide pollutant release and transfer registers (PRTRs) as means to enhance public access to information.
Nune Hovhannissyan, of the Ministry of Nature Protection, added: "It is obvious that public participation in policy-making and implementation in different fields of social-economic development is a necessary precondition for achieving significant progress in sustainable development. We highly value OSCE efforts and co-operation with Armenia, which helped to create the necessary practical mechanism for implementing the Aarhus Convention."
The OSCE Office in Yerevan attaches a special importance to the implementation of the Aarhus Convention in Armenia by supporting the 9 Aarhus Centres throughout the country. The full implementation of the Protocol will increase corporate accountability, reduce pollution and contribute to sustainable development in the country.
The discussion is expected to raise awareness and accountability among representatives of state bodies, civil society, the private sector and experts. Two international experts will share their knowledge and exchange ideas with their Armenian colleagues. The conclusions of the workshop will be disseminated through Aarhus Centres.
The event was organized by the Armenian Ministry of Nature Protection within the "Environment and Security" initiative, with support from the OSCE Office in Yerevan, the Office of the Co-ordinator of OSCE Economic and Environmental Activities, and the Aarhus Secretariat of the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe.