EC Delegation in Ukraine, Press Release

November 16, 2004.

    Representatives of Ministries of Environment and Environmental experts from six countries (Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Georgia, Moldova and Ukraine) will take part in the final international meeting of a European Union project to be held in Kyiv from 17-19 November 2004. The project supports the implementation of environmental democracy as provided by the Aarhus Convention.*
    
    The meeting will be opened by the Deputy Minister of Environment, Mr Syatoslav Kurylenko and Mr Remi Duflot from the Delegation of the European Commission to Ukraine
    Media are invited to attend the opening of the event
    
    11.00-13.00
    Wednesday 17th November, 2004
    1st floor, Ministry of Environmental Protection, 35 Urytskoho Street, Kyiv
    
    The meeting will assess the impact of the project to support the implementation of the Aarhus Convention and will identify what further action should be taken.
    The Aahus Convention* has the status of national law in these six countries that are Parties to the Convention. It allows every individual in these countries to receive required environmental information, to participate in decision making that may have a significant impact on the environment and to protect their rights to these in a court of law.
    Project results include:
    ° More than 10,000 copies of comprehensive resource and training materials on the Aarhus Convention in seven languages, Armenian, Azerbaijani, Georgian, Moldovan, Ukrainian, English and Russian (printed on recycled paper)
    ° The establishment of 4 Public Councils, 7 public participation procedures, 29 local and 1 National Aarhus Public Information centres, and 2 ministerial orders on Access to Information during Pilot Projects to increase implementation of the Aarhus Convention at national and local level.
    ° Training of 1298 national officials, local officials, and members of civil society
    ° Dissemination of information on the Aarhus Convention to 960 people at round tables and to the general public via more than 350 media stories
    ° 6650 copies ‘Environmental Democracy: 12 examples of Practical Action – Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Georgia, Moldova and Ukraine’
    For more information contact the Team Leader Veronica Vann on 8050 357 0802 (in English) or the Ukraine National Team Leader, Borys Vasykivskiy (in Ukrainian or Russian) on 8067 441 3464.
    Project results and materials are available at www.rec.org/AarhusConvention from 25 November, 2004
    *Convention on Access to Information, Public Participation in Decision-making and Access to Justice in Environmental Matters (the Aarhus Convention)