OSCE Office, Armenia sign memorandum on opening four new Aarhus centres
YEREVAN, 9 December 2008 - Four public environmental information centres, known as Aarhus Centres, will open in Armenian regions, according to a memorandum of understanding signed today between the OSCE Office in Yerevan and the Armenian Ministries of Territorial Administration and Nature Protection.
With the opening of the new centres in Stepanavan, Lori region, Eghvard, Kotayk region, Yeghegnadzor, Vayots Dzor region, and Aparan, Aragatzotn region, the total number of Aarhus centres in Armenia will reach 13.
The centres help deal with local environmental issues and promote the implementation of the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE) Convention on access to information, public participation in governmental decision-making processes on environmental matters and access to justice. The convention is widely known as the Aarhus Convention.
"The Aarhus Centres proved to be instrumental in promoting 'green democracy'. The OSCE Office will further support the Armenian Government to implement international conventions," said Ambassador Sergey Kapinos, the Head of the OSCE Office.
The Armenian Vice-Prime Minister and Minister of Territorial Administration, Armen Gevorgyan, underlined the important role of the Aarhus Centres in "assisting local authorities to address environmental challenges in their localities by encouraging comprehensive co-operation".
The Minister of Nature Protection, Aram Harutyunyan, added: "The Aarhus Centres will support self-governmental bodies in developing local ecological strategies and environmental action plans and empower local environmental NGOs."
The activities of the Aarhus Centres and other projects of the OSCE Office in the environmental field were discussed during today's meeting.
Since 2000, the OSCE Office has been working closely with the UNECE Aarhus Convention Secretariat to promote the ratification and implementation of the Convention by organizing awareness-raising campaigns and supporting the establishment, functioning and enlargement of the Aarhus Centres.