The Access Initiative

Topics: Network Activity

Code des Aires Protégées de Madagascar         

Published: 2011

Cette étude porte sur l’analyse de la participation publique dans le cadre de l’élaboration et la mise en œuvre du Code des Aires Protégées Malgache. Elle trouve son intérêt du fait de l’ Importance géographique des Aires Protégées à Madagascar (en termes de surface) d’où intérêt de l’analyse du texte de base légiférant la question. 

Les objectifs de cette étude sont d’identifier/analyser les éléments du cadre juridique et institutionnel garantissant la participation du public dans l’élaboration et la mise en œuvre du COAP, Identifier et analyser les différentes lacunes du cadre juridique et des différents mécanismes de participation citoyenne dans l’élaboration et la mise en œuvre du COAP, analyser les pratiques sur l’accès à l’information du public dans le cadre de l’élaboration et de la mise en œuvre du COAP Fournir des recommandations

Rio +20: The 5Q Campaign         

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

Citizen Enforcements of Procedural Rights in the Environmental Impact Assessment Process in Belize and Jamaica         

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.

Accès à la justice: Cas du braconnage d’Angonaka dans le Parc.National Baie de Baly District Soalala -Région Boeny

Published: 2011

L’étude de cas « braconnage et exploitation illicite de l’Angonoka dans le Parc National de Baie de Baly » fait partie des études de cas en matière d’accès à la justice, et fait partie des douze cas d’études, retenues par la Coalition TAI Madagascar, validées par le Comité de Pilotage, pour faire la situation en matière d’Initiative d’Accès (IA). L’étude a été confiée à l’équipe de chercheurs issus des institutions membres de l’Alliance Voahary gasy (AVG) : SAGE (Service d’Appui à la Gestion de l’Environnement) et AIFM (Association des Ingénieurs Forestier Malagasy).

Malgré la mise en place d’une Aire Protégée créer principalement pour la conservation de l’Angonoka, le Parc National de Baie de Baly (créé en 1997 par le décret n° 97 – 1452 du 18/12/97), cette tortue de tortue à éperon (Geochelone yniphora (Angonoka) à haute valeur de protection, classée comme « gravement menacée », fait toujours l’objet d’un braconnage et d’exportation illicite vers l’Asie (Thaïlande, Malaisie). Dans la lutte contre le braconnage d’Angonoka, y a-t-il eu prise en compte et application effective d’une justice environnementale et d’accès à la justice pour les acteurs de la préservation de cette espèce endémique ?

les objectifs de l’étude sont d’identifier les lacunes dans les lois, les institutions et les pratiques sur l’accès à l’accès à la justice par rapport à la lutte contre le réseau de braconnage à l’exportation illicite de l’Angonoka, une espèce endémique gravement menacée de disparitiona et de fournir des recommandations pour combler ces lacunes sous forme de plan d’action pour l’éradication de l’exportation illicite à titre de solution apportée pour aborder les principales faiblesses et qualité de la loi et de la pratique institutionnelle.

Manual de acceso a la información y a la participación ambiental en Colombia          

Published: 2008

El objetivo de este folleto es facilitar la comprension del documento “Manual de acceso a la información y a la participación ambiental en Colombia”, destacando sus datos clave y proponiendo la realización de actividades que permitan la reflexión sobre los diferentes temas y aplicación práctica de la teoría. El manual pretende dar al lector un instrumento para el acceso a la información y participacón en asustos relacionados con el medio ambiente y los recursos naturales, los derechos y deberes relacionados con el tema y brindar y visión jurídica y social de lo relativo en materia ambientala nivel nacional e intenacional.

Advocacy Toolkit – TAI         

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.

Access Improvements from 2005 to 2010

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.

Access Improvements from 2008 to 2010

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.

Environmental Governance Indicators Toolkit (TAI Citizen’s Toolkit)

Published: 2008

The Access Initiative (TAI) Thailand, an environmental governance coalition has conducted three national assessments on environmental governance in Thailand in order to find ways to improve its environmental accountability. Having proposed by friends in the non-governmental organizations that a citizen’s toolkit of environmental governance should be made available for the interested public to be used as guidelines in considering the governance performance of projects conducted in their local areas, TAI Thailand then produced this toolkit.

This toolkit is therefore designed for the public to use as guidelines in considering the levels of good governance for projects (or planning or policy making) only. It is not meant for the public or any organizations to use to assess good governance, because the number of indicators gathered in this toolkit is only half of the indicators of the full version. Moreover, in conducting a complete assessment, it would have to follow procedures and involve many analysts/researchers. This toolkit can also be used by the government agencies as guidelines to enhance good governance in conducting the work of your agency.

Memoria: Taller regional de las Coaliciones de Acceso de Centroamérica

San José, Costa Rica. 2009

Last April 29th and 30th, representatives from TAI Coalitions from Guatemala, Honduras, El Salvador, and Costa Rica gathered in regional workshop to create a common Action Plan to strengthen their work on the implementation of Principle 10.

The Action Plan has three sections:

A) Challenges and commitments of the leader organizations in each coalition: This point is related with the strengthening of the following aspects: 1) National coalitions to promote the Access Rights. 2) Information channels within the coalitions and between the coalitions. 3) Fundraising for national coalitions projects. 4) the inclusion of the Dominican Republic and Panama in the regional process. 5) Establishing a regional partnership that consolidates common work strategies and get funding for regional projects. 6) Political context challenges in each country. B) Regional Agenda: This point refers to issues related with: 1) access to information and communications between governments and civil society, 2) Legal framework on access rights. 3) Proceedings and institutional structures of public participation. 4) Education and training on access rights. 5) Funding for public participation and access to information. C) Building a regional partnership: It contains the actions defined to create a regional partnership of TAI Coalitions in Central America.

As part of the program, the meeting had two spaces to tend other topics: Daniel Barragán, from TAI Ecuador, presented the hemispheric strategic plan of Latin America Access Coalitions. Aldo Palacios and Diego Cooper from PP10Secretariat presented the components and the work of the Partnership for Principle 10.

This workshop is an activity of the project “Partnership 10 Central America” which is funded by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) and executed by Foundation for Peace and Democracy(FUNPADEM).

Further information please contact Luis Diego Segura from Foundation for Peace and Democracy, FUNPADEM. Email sociedadcivil@funpadem.org or +506 2283 9435.