Environmental information centre opens in Armenia

YEREVAN, 21 March 2002 - A memorandum of understanding on the establishment of a Public Environmental Information Centre in Armenia , the Armenian Arhus Centre, was signed by the OSCE Office in Yerevan and the Armenian Ministry of Nature Protection on Tuesday, 19 March.

The establishment of the Centre was initiated by the OSCE Office in Yerevan in order to support implementation of the United Nations Convention on Access to Information, Public Participation in Decision-Making, and Access to Justice in Environmental Matters (Aarhus Convention of 1998) in Armenia. The Convention was ratified by Armenia in May 2001 following a joint campaign by the OSCE Office and non-governmental organizations (NGOs).

"The Centre is a good example of a successful joint endeavour of the Government, NGOs and the international community," said Ambassador Roy Reeve, Head of the OSCE Office during the signing ceremony. Addressing the journalists present at the ceremony, the Minister of Nature Protection, Vardan Aivazyan, emphasized that the Centre will primarily serve the needs of journalists looking for information on environmental issues.

The Centre will facilitate public access to information and participation in decision-making on environmental issues with the aim of promoting transparency and good governance in Armenia.

It will be located in the Conference Hall of the Ministry of Nature Protection. It will provide free access to a specialized library, the Internet, a legal database and environmental information provided by the Ministry of Nature Protection and other sources. The Centre will also serve as a venue for public discussions, NGO meetings and public relations activities of the Ministry. Any interested individual or organization will have free access to the Centre and its facilities.

The Centre is also envisaged as a link between the Armenian Government and NGOs, and their potential counterparts among international organisations and foreign governments. It will also help NGOs dealing with environmental issues in building coalitions. The Centre will begin operating in May 2002. It will be run by a Board of Experts supported by an Advisory Board composed of representatives of the donor community.

The initiative was funded by the United States of America, the United Kingdom, and Germany.