The User Guide was developed under the EU project “Environmental Information, Education and Public Awareness in Eastern Europe and the Caucasus Region” in order to improve the quality of environmental protection and environmental decisions by incorporating public interests.
The project was implemented in Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Georgia, Moldova and Ukraine. The project provided assistance to public officials, NGOs, the media and other sectors of civil society to continue implementing the Aarhus Convention.
What is this Guide for?
- The material provides an interpretation of the Convention’s provisions and explains what obligations the officials of the public authorities have under the Convention.
- It also provides some practical tips and examples of how certain provisions of the Convention can be used by NGOs, communities and other stakeholders. Some examples of methodologies for public involvement and working with authorities are provided.
- Also included are comprehensive training materials comprising a guide to trainers and training modules for each pillar of the Convention.
Who is this User Guide For?
- The material before you is primarily resource material for Non-governmental Organisations (NGOs) and community organisations and leaders that use public participation tools in their activities. However, it can also provide useful information and tips to individuals wanting to take action under the provisions of the Aarhus Convention.
- Another possible user of the material is the media. While both the Convention and the User Guide are not specifically aimed at media, many of the provisions in the Convention are very useful for journalists, in particular, the Access to Information provisions. On the other hand, the use of media is essential and imperative for NGOs and communities to both engage the public and have a stronger impact on the decisionmaking process. Therefore, several Sub-Chapters of this Guide are dedicated both to the media itself, and use by other stakeholders. These parts include ‘How can journalists make use of the Aarhus Convention’ and Chapter 2.13 ‘Working with mass media.
You can download this guide for free here.
