By DGiordano (Posted: May 11, 2015)
Launch of the Environmental Democracy Index: May 20
The Access Initiative and the World Resources Institute will be launching the Environmental Democracy Index on May 20 in Washington, DC. The Environmental Democracy Index (EDI) is a new, interactive online tool and the first index to measure and rank countries’ commitments to access to information, public participation, and access to justice in environmental matters. Stay tuned for more information about TAI member country launches of the EDI results. If you are interested in staying up-to-date about EDI, email access@wri.org to receive email updates or follow us on social media! Learn more.
New Video Series
The Access Initiative in Latin America and the Caribbean (Iniciativa de Acceso en América Latina y el Caribe) has developed a new series of videos highlighting the work of TAI in Latin America and the importance of access rights. Check out the videos: What purpose do access rights serve?, What is Principle 10 of the Access Declaration? and Towards a regional convention on Principle 10 of the Rio Declaration. In addition, six TAI partners from across Latin America and the Caribbean were elected to serve as public representatives in the upcoming Principle 10 negotiations in Chile. Congratulations to all of them!
New Members
The Access Initiative is excited to introduce several new individual and organizational members to the TAI network! We look forward to forging strong partnerships and working together to ensure that people have the right to public participation, access to information, and access to justice in decisions about their environment. Please join us in welcoming the following new members.
Green Alternative
Green Alternative strives to protect the environmental, biological, and cultural heritage of Georgia by promoting economically sound and socially acceptable policies, establishing the principles of environmental and social justice, and upholding public access to information and decision-making processes. Green Alternative’s work consists of specific projects and policy campaigns. Its current advocacy campaigns include a campaign on hydropower development projects that pose significant threats to the environment and local communities, a campaign on transportation development projects, a campaign on transparency of privatization processes, as well as policy-level campaigns targeted at improvement of energy, forest, land governance, EIA processes, and access rights. In 2004, Green Alternative received the Goldman Environmental Prize in recognition of the organization’s incredible work for environmental protection, social justice, and equity
Ana Lucia Maya Aguirre, Colombia
Ana Lucia Maya Aguirre is a Fulbright Colombian scholar pursuing an LL.M. in Energy and Environmental Law at Tulane University. Ana is an experienced advocate and litigator on human rights before national and international bodies. Her work has focused on a number of issues including comparative and international law, forced displacement, environmental migrations, human rights, environmental governance, indigenous peoples’ and Afro-descendants’ rights, and the Inter-American System of Human Rights.
Masami Kittaka, Japan
Masami Kittaka is a Japanese lawyer. She is an active member of Japan Endocrine-disruptors Preventive Action (JEPA), a Japanese NGO working on chemical issues. She is also a member of Aarhus Net in Japan, a network organized to realize principles in the Aarhus Convention in Japan. Masami is interested in issues related to the environment, corporate social responsibility, and public participation.
Lebanese Oil & Gas Initiative, Lebanon
The Lebanese Oil & Gas Initiative (LOGI) is a non-governmental organization based in Beirut that promotes the transparent and sound management of Lebanon’s oil and gas resources. They aim to develop a network of Lebanese experts in the global energy industry and provide them with a platform to educate Lebanese policy makers as well as Lebanese citizens on key decisions facing the oil and gas industry. They focus on public awareness, policy development and advocacy, capacity building, and technical assistance to help Lebanon maximize the economic and social benefits of its oil and gas wealth – and avoid the resource curse.