The second meeting of parties to the Aarhus Convention was held in Kazakhstan from 25 to 27 May. In the course of the meeting, the Almaty declaration was adopted and more detailed principles of public access to information and bases for consultation with regard to genetically modified organisms were introduced in the convention. At the high-level meeting of the parties, the Almaty declaration was adopted today, on 27 May. The declaration affirms continuous readiness to implement the principles of the Convention, calls upon the public to exercise the rights granted by the Convention and encourages non-parties to accede to the Convention. In addition, the declaration contains the results of negotiations held in the course of the meeting, the most important of which are the supplementation of the Convention with specific provisions concerning the release into the environment of genetically modified organisms (GMO) as well as public participation and access to information. The meeting also approved guidance documents for implementation of the Convention’s principles in international environmental forums. On behalf of Estonia a presentation was made by Ms Annika Velthut, Secretary General of the Ministry of the Environment, who spoke about Estonia’s steps in engaging non-governmental organisations in the solution of environmental problems. The Secretary General also mentioned the development of the environmental education concept and ensuring the right of appeal of non-governmental organisations in Estonia. More detailed information about the Convention and the second meeting of the parties is available on the Internet: http://www.unece.org/env/pp. Further information: Triin Nymann Mart Siilivask |
