Worldwide, social, economic and environmental challenges are becoming increasingly complex and interrelated. To minimize the depletion of environmental resources for the benefit of current and future generations, the economic and social value of the environment and the impacts of today’s actions need to be reflected in decisions at policy, strategic and project levels. Ongoing armed conflicts and the push for rapid economic developments bypassing environmental concerns exacerbate pressures.
These developments have an impact on the environment. Land is cleared or reclaimed. More natural resources are explored, while the resulting waste and emissions must be dealt with safely.
If planned well, and in cooperation with the people, these developments can make our lives better. Sometimes, however, development can lead to serious irreversible environmental problems, putting people’s health, safety and quality of life at serious risk.
The Aarhus Convention and its Protocol on PRTRs help Governments to address this complex issue by promoting informed and participatory decision-making.
The Convention on Access to Information, Public Participation in Decision-making and Access to Justice in Environmental Matters (Aarhus Convention), is a landmark agreement that turns environmental democracy into enforceable public rights on access to information, public participation in decision-making, and access to justice. It also promotes public engagement in international decision-making and ensures the protection of environmental defenders. By embracing Parties from Europe, Caucasus, Central Asia and Africa, the Convention proves to be relevant regardless of different levels of their economic development, political systems or cultural contexts. The Protocol on Pollutant Release and Transfer Registers (Protocol on PRTRs), requires establishing online, publicly accessible pollutant registers. Both treaties share the key objective: to protect the right of present and future generations to live in an environment adequate to their health and well-being.
Benefiting people and the planet
The rights enshrined in the Convention enhance the quality and legitimacy of environmental decision-making: transparency enables understanding of risks, participation brings in local knowledge at an early stage, access to justice ensures effective remedies, and ultimately, an engaged public contributes to positive outcomes for the environment. The Protocol, by requiring establishing PRTRs, promotes informed decision-making.
Alongside their legal provisions, both treaties are supported by institutional frameworks. The Convention’s thematic Task Forces contribute to coherent implementation and capacity-building across Parties. The Special Rapporteur on environmental defenders assists in resolving many complex cases. Each treaty is served by a Compliance Committee, composed of independent experts, to which the public and Parties may submit complaints, providing a non-confrontational framework to help implementation.
The treaties make a real difference by driving improvements in legislation and practice in numerous fields such as forest management, pollution prevention, mining, agriculture, spatial planning and energy. Their unique cross-cutting nature makes them applicable to the implementation of all UNECE MEAs and many other international forums.
Shaping the path ahead
Future priorities of the treaties cluster around effectiveness, equality and modernization. They recognize that decision-making processes should be fully accountable to the public, and that meaningful public engagement requires safe civic space and the full enjoyment of the rights enshrined in the treaties.
Technological change creates both opportunities and challenges. Priorities are therefore also aimed at strengthening environmental information systems and e-justice tools, while ensuring equal access for those who cannot rely on digital channels.
The recent Geneva Declaration on advancing public rights to tackle the triple planetary crisis in the face of geopolitical tensions, demonstrated the role of both treaties in addressing this ongoing crisis. It shows the critical importance of transparency, the rule of law and effective participation during economy-wide shifts and calls for the use of the treaties to support a just transition towards climate neutrality, circular economy, and pollution prevention.
Did you know?
While serviced by UNECE, the Convention and its Protocol are open to accession by all UN Member States. They are the only global treaties on environmental democracy and are regarded as models in this field. For example, the Escazú Agreement, which applies in Latin America and the Caribbean, was developed following the model of the Convention. The Convention’s rapid response mechanism on environmental defenders is the first international mechanism specifically safeguarding environmental defenders to be established within a legally binding framework either under the United Nations system or other intergovernmental structures.