As the international community gathers for the Rio+20 summit on sustainable development, we have a chance to renew our commitment to Environmental Democracy. Can national governments deliver?
Topics: Access to Information
Published: 2011
Twelve Responding Governments
Attached you will find a full write-up of the responses from the responding governments.
Governments who responded:
- Argentina
- Bolivia
- Cameroon
- Costa Rica
- Ecuador
- El Salvador
- Gabon
- Hungary
- Ireland
- Latvia
- Madagascar
- Mexico
- Peru
- Thailand
- Venezuela
Governments contacted, no response:
- Benin
- Chile
- Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC)
- India
- Jamaica
- Macedonia
- Malawi
- South Africa
- Sri Lanka
Published: 2011
The inclusion of procedural rights of access to information, public participationand access to justice in environmental decision-making are recognized in international treaties and soft law agreements as central to the sustainable development agenda. Since the 1990s, a number of Caribbean countries have enacted environmental legislation requiring the preparation of an Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) prior to permitting significant developments . The extent to which procedural rights have been included within EIA provisions however is varied. There has been little analysis of the impact of the use by citizens of procedural rights in these EIA processes.
This paper examines the legislative framework for EIAs and citizen enforcement of procedural rights in the decision-making process for proposed developments in Jamaica and Belize. The legislative frameworks adopted by Belize and Jamaica are significantly different; with the former enacting comparatively comprehensive regulations to guide the EIA process and the latter dependent on internal guidelines. In both countries there has been documented failure in law and practice to deliver effective procedural rights. A review of recent court decisions in Belize and Jamaica illustrates the value of citizen enforcement as a means of safeguarding procedural rights in the conduct and review of EIAs as well as demonstrating the failure in compliance.
TAI has been in existence for 10 years and has documented numerous case studies on the establishment and strengthening of the right to information, public participation and justice. Our partner’s and other advocates experiences speak to the continued struggle for attainment of the promise of environmental democracy. These case studies reflect the most recent information we have collected on progress in the implementation of principle 10 of the Rio Declaration but also current challenges and opportunities for change. The Rio 2012 Summit process is an opportunity to recognize the progress that has been made but also to address the continuing gaps in accountability, and the lack of foresight of a number of governments which have failed to establish access rights for their citizens. The case studies also highlight the critical need for building capacity and strengthening the gap between policy, law and practice. Years of struggle by environmental advocates and their work to save the environment from harm, to push for transparency and accountability and seek justice in the public interest need to be recognized at RIO 2012. For a discussion on “renewing the political commitment for sustainable development” and “assessing the progress to date and remaining gaps in the implementation of the outcomes of the major summits” to be credible it must address environmental governance, accountability and transparency.
Published: 2010
Including the Poor in Decisions for Development and Environment
For the complete publication please scroll to the bottom of the page and download the attachment.
Download the original case studies on access rights and poverty referenced in the A Seat at the Table publication here: A Seat at the Table Pilot Studies on Access Rights and Poverty View the presentation from the A Seat at the Table Brown Bag hosted at the World Resources Institute here: A Seat at the Table Presentation
Watch the webcast of the A Seat at the Table Brown Bag hosted at the World Resources Institute here:
Decisions that have significant environmental and social consequences are often made without the involvement of those whose interests are directly at stake. For poor people whose lives and livelihoods often depend on natural resources, and who are therefore most vulnerable to environmental risks, the consequences of exclusion can be especially severe. Weak access to decision-making may expose poor communities to high levels of pollution, remove them from productive land, and deprive them of the everyday benefits provided by natural resources.
The three pillars of sound decision-making for the environment that are key to responding to the challenge of providing “access” are: access to information, public participation, and access to justice. Many countries, regardless of their level of economic development, have promoted these pillars as policy aspirations or as enforceable legal rights. Yet even where progress has been significant, more work remains if such laws are to be implemented in a way that is meaningful to all citizens, especially the poor.
To better understand the obstacles to access facing the poor, and the efforts by governments to reach this population, the World Resources Institute (WRI) and its civil society organization (CSO) partners in The Access Initiative1 (TAI) closely examined access rights and practices in four countries—Cameroon, Paraguay, Philippines, and Sri Lanka.2
The case studies highlighted in this report cover a range of environmental concerns including water quality, land use, data availability, and the use or absence of environmental impact assessments (EIAs). The findings and literature review show that the poor in these countries face a daunting array of barriers to access, including low literacy, high costs (including the costs of corruption), exposure to risk from participation, and lack of documentation of legal identity or rights to a resource that is necessary to influence decisions. Additionally, cultural norms that limit who may speak in public disproportionately exclude the poor.
The case studies also provide examples where civil society organizations, community groups, and—most importantly—governments have taken steps to overcome these barriers. Based on the findings and literature review, we have identified six poverty-related barriers to access to decision-making and proposed eight categories of policy responses to overcome these barriers. Importantly, a general lack of access to information for all citizens had a commensurately larger impact on access to information for the poor.
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Incluyendo a los pobres en las decisiones sobre Ambiente y Desarrollo
Las decisiones que tienen significativas consecuencias ambientales y sociales se hacen a menudo sin la participación de aquellos cuyos intereses están directamente en juego. Para los pobres, cuyas vidas y medios de vida a menudo dependen de los recursos naturales, y que son más vulnerables a los riesgos ambientales, las consecuencias de la exclusión pueden ser especialmente graves. Un débil acceso a los procesos de toma de decisiones puede exponer a las comunidades pobres a altos niveles de contaminación, excluirlos de la tierra productiva, y privarlos de los beneficios diarios que proporcionan los recursos naturales.
Los tres pilares de la adopción de decisiones acertadas para el medio ambiente que son clave para responder al desafío de proporcionar “acceso” son: el acceso a la información, participación pública y acceso a la justicia. Muchos países, independientemente de su nivel de desarrollo económico, han promovido estos pilares como aspiraciones de políticas o exigibilidad legal de derechos. Sin embargo, incluso donde el progreso ha sido significativo, aún queda mucho trabajo si esas leyes no son aplicadas de manera significativa para todos los ciudadanos, especialmente los pobres.
Para comprender mejor los obstáculos al acceso que enfrentan los pobres, y los esfuerzos de los gobiernos para llegar a esta población, el Instituto de Recursos Mundiales (WRI) y las organizaciones de la sociedad civil (OSC) socias de la Iniciativa de Acceso (The Access Initiative) examinaron a profundidad los derechos y las prácticas de acceso en cuatro países: Camerún Paraguay, Filipinas y Sri Lanka.
Los estudios de casos destacados en este informe cubren una gama de preocupaciones ambientales, la calidad del agua, uso del suelo, disponibilidad de datos y el uso o ausencia de evaluaciones de impacto ambiental (EIA). Las conclusiones y revisión bibliográfica muestran que los pobres de estos países enfrentan una serie de desalentadoras barreras al acceso, incluyendo el bajo nivel de alfabetización, los altos costos (incluyendo los costos de la corrupción), la exposición a los riesgos derivados de la participación, y la falta de documentación de identidad legal o derechos a un recurso que es necesario para influir en la toma de decisiones. Además, las normas culturales que limitan quién puede hablar en público de manera desproporcionada excluyen a los pobres.
Los estudios de casos también proveen ejemplos donde las organizaciones de la sociedad civil, grupos comunitarios, y-más importante-los gobiernos han adoptado medidas para superar estas barreras. Con base en los resultados y revisión de la literatura, se identificaron seis barreras relacionadas con la pobreza con el acceso a la toma de decisiones, y se propusieron ocho categorías de respuestas de política para superar estas barreras. Es importante destacar que la falta general de acceso a la información para todos los ciudadanos tienen un impacto proporcionalmente mayor sobre el acceso a la información para los pobres.
The publication can also be found on the World Bank’s Water Quality page here: http://go.worldbank.org/WEXM7I9W50
Published: 2010
Advocacy, for the TAI Network means turning our research into meaningful change on the ground. It is actively convincing others that our goal of widening access is worth implementing and ensuring that implementation is done well.
The Access Initiative (TAI) Advocacy Toolkit is a set of tools developed to help TAI partners strategically achieve reform and policy practice around access to information, public participation, and access to justice. Partners in Latin America contributed directly to the development of the toolkit in the regional meeting from 2009. Partners from Asia and Africa and attendees of the 2nd TAI Global Gathering contributed to the review of the tools over the course of their development. Partners used the toolkit successfully in Cameroon (FEDEV), Chile (PARTICIPA), India (LIFE), Ecuador (CEDA) Zimbabwe (ZELA). Partners from the 3rd Global Gathering in Uganda in 2010 have helped to refine and finalise proposals for this tool kit.
Every two years The Access Initiative organizes a Global Gathering which brings together representatives of partner organizations to discuss ways of ensuring that citizens have the right and ability to influence decisions about the environment and natural resources that sustain their communities. The third gathering took place at Lake Victoria Serena Resort in Kampala, Uganda between 28th and 30th October 2010. The event was organized around the theme “Access Rights, Poverty and Environmental Democracy Worldwide”. It was a call for civil society organizations to increase their advocacy and outreach work in four areas which had been identified by the network as having significant implications for environmental sustainability and democracy in the 21st Century. The areas include;
- Climate change governance,
- Environmental justice and poverty,
- Extractive industries with particular emphasis on oil governance and
- Renewing the call for environmental democracy: The Rio Principles at 20.
Published: 2009
El presente documento hace un análisis sobre la situación de la información ambiental nacional, sus normativas, políticas, así como presenta una investigación sobre las percepciones de gestores y usuarios sobre el acceso y uso de la información y sus necesidades al momento de acceder a la información ambiental.
Published: 2010
Changes in Laws for 29 TAI partners
Attached, is a database of improvements in over 30 TAI Partner Countries. This database highlights changes in national laws towards access improvements from 2005 to 2010. The database highlights areas of change based on Access Pillars: Access to Information (A2I), Access to Justice (A2J), Public Participation(PP) and Capacity Building. Within the database, one can click on the link country tab to find the laws changes within each country.
Published: 2010
Attached, is a matrix of stories that have been written by TAI partners from October 2008 to July 2010 on access changes within their respective countries. The chart highlights the areas of change based on Access Pillars:Access to Information (A2I), Access to Justice (A2J), Public Participation (PP) and Capacity Building.
Within the chart, one can click on the link provided. This goes directly to a story or short blog post on this website explaining. The post provides first hand information from TAI partners working within that pillar of access.