On October 19-20, at the initiative of the office of the Coordinator of the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) on economic and environmental issues, the annual meeting of the Aarhus Centers was held in Vienna, the capital of Austria.
The agenda includes the success of the centers, best practices, a new strategic program of the centers for 2022-2027 and fundraising tools.
Mari Chakryan, Legal Adviser to the Minister of Environment, made a speech, presenting the issues that have arisen since the closure of the OSCE office in Yerevan in terms of ensuring the continuity of the centers' activities, the positive position of the Ministries of Environment and Territorial Administration and Infrastructure regarding the activities of the centers.
He said that in order to determine the legal status of the centers, OSCE proposals were studied, discussed with interested parties, a working group was created that will begin work on the possible restart of the centers.
At the meeting in Vienna, the importance of the consistent work of the Centers for the Development of Environmental Democracy was noted.
Three main features of the Aarhus centers were identified.
- Database of international and National environmental legislation and best practices,
- A bridge between government and society,
- Internationally recognized and accepted format.
The OSCE Office continues to be the main apologist for the centers, but it is necessary to look for new sources of funding and introduce new mechanisms necessary for organizing the daily work of the centers.
OSCE support will be more focused on capacity development, exchange of experience, development of strategic documents and implementation of joint regional programs.
Recall that the first Aarhus Center was opened in 2002 in Yerevan in cooperation between the Government of the Republic of Armenia and the OSCE Office in Yerevan to assist the Government in fulfilling the obligations assumed by the Aarhus Convention and informing the public about the rights granted to them by the Convention and the forms of their implementation.