The Access Initiative

Topics: Public Participation

CIC Orders Disclosure of Technical Report on Hydroelectric Project

By Preetadhar (Posted: April 9, 2015)

In a significant decision, the Central Information Commission (CIC) directed the Niti Aayog (previously known as the Planning Commission) to make available the report of the Technical Expert Committee on the 2000 MW Lower Subansiri hydroelectric project. The Niti Aayog had refused to provide the information to Rohit Choudhury of EIA Resource and Response Centre (ERC), New Delhi, on the ground that the report had not been finalized and accepted by the Government. Disposing off the appeal, the Information Commissioner Shri Sharat Sabharwal held that the report should be disclosed to enable an informed debate and civil society participation.

The 2000 MW Lower Subansiri hydroelectric project has seen sustained resistance from civil society groups. Responding to the issues raised regarding the dam safety and the downstream impact of the project, the Planning Commission (now Niti Aayog) had constituted a Technical Expert Committee (comprised of C.D. Thatte and M.S. Reddy) to undertake an assessment of the project. The report of the Committee, not released in the public domain, was requested under the Right to Information Act in 2012.

It was argued by the Niti Aayog that the Report should not be disclosed as it would “create confusion in the mind of the public” and that its disclosure “may fuel further agitation, thereby endangering the life of the local people”. Categorically rejecting the argument of Niti Aayog, Information Commissioner Shri Sharat Sabharwal observed that that revelation of expert comments would enable all the stakeholders to have informed participation at the stage of formulation of the policy itself and that “agitation is more likely to be fuelled by uninformed debate in the absence of authentic information”.

It was also argued by the respondent that since the project concerned generation of electricity for two States (Assam and Arunachal Pradesh), it involved the economic interests of the State, and therefore sought exemption from disclosure. Rejecting this ground as well, Shri Sabharwal held that “there is no ground to deny the report sought by the Appellant”, and that the report should be provided free of cost. This is an important decision of the CIC, capturing the true spirit of the RTI Act its objective of an informed and participative civil society. The judgment, uploaded on the website of ERC, can be accessed here .

Q&A with Cécile Ndjebet: Empowering Women Is Key to Better Forest Management in Cameroon

By Stephanie Ratté (March 12, 2015) 

Roughly 70 percent of women in Cameroon live in rural areas, relying at least in part on natural resources like forests for their livelihoods. However, women often face particular challenges in accessing the forests they need. Differences in the ways men and women understand and use forests mean natural resource policies can result in significant gender-differentiated impacts that oftentimes put women at a disadvantage. Women’s lack of secure access to forests can lead to a variety of inequities, including limited decision-making power; more vulnerability for women who are unmarried, divorced, or widowed; and greater likelihood that forest conservation schemes like REDD+ (Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation) will not benefit women and men equally. As new programs seek to tackle deforestation in Cameroon, it’s imperative that these initiatives are not blind to gender differences in forest use and access. Cécile Ndjebet, a partner of WRI’s Governance of Forests Initiative, is a leading voice on gender and forest governance, both in Cameroon and internationally. Ndjebet serves as the director of civil society group Cameroon Ecology, coordinates the National Civil Society Organization Platform on REDD and Climate Change and heads the African Women’s Network for Community Management of Forests (Réseau des Femmes Africaines pour la Gestion Communautaire des Forêts or REFACOF). I recently caught up with her to talk about the challenges rural, forest-dependent women face in Cameroon, as well as solutions for overcoming these problems.

1. Why is it important for women to have secure access to forests in Cameroon? When women have clear and secure rights to forest land and resources, they are more likely to be able to access credit and technical assistance, manage resources sustainably, and are less dependent on marriage for security. Research on the link between gender and natural resource management demonstrates the critical and positive role that women can play in achieving environmental and development goals. In Nepal and India, for example, studies demonstrate that greater participation of women in forest management and decision-making processes at the community level are associated with better forest conservation.

2. What are the main challenges you face in your work? One is building the capacity of the government and other groups to recognize the importance of gender equality. I recently attended a workshop in Brazzaville and realized that people rarely understand why gender is important to consider in forest and natural resource management. Awareness is being raised now because of initiatives like REDD+. But we also need the political will of governments, greater capacity of civil society organizations and more resources for effective advocacy.

3. How can REDD+ help bring greater gender equity to natural resource governance in Cameroon? The government of Cameroon began developing its national REDD+ strategy in June of 2014 in order guide the implementation of incentives for the sustainable management of forests and the conservation and enhancement of forest carbon stocks. Cameroon Ecology is playing a key role. So far, the government is open to our participation, and we are working to gather real information from communities and villages so that the contributions of rural women and men can be inserted in the national REDD+ strategy. We also need to ensure that REDD+ programs implement safeguards to avoid creating or exacerbating gender inequalities. What I see in REDD+ is that it is a good opportunity. We don’t yet know exactly what we will get with carbon offsets, but the REDD+ process has created a more inclusive space for promoting the equitable management of resources. I always say to the communities: If REDD+ cannot bring the scale of resources we hope for, at least it can help strengthen participation and improve natural resource laws and regulations for rural men and women in Cameroon.

4. How is your organization working to build capacity to address gender-related challenges? We are conducting trainings with other NGOs on gender and REDD+. We have just finished three training sessions to help men and women understand how gender is important to natural resource management, especially in relation to climate change and REDD+. We have also developed a policy brief on women’s participation in Cameroon’s REDD+ experience. In Cameroon, we are also coordinating the National Civil Society Organization Platform on REDD and Climate Change, a venue where I have been able to influence how women participate in decision making. The platform was established in 2011 to enhance collaboration on REDD+ and climate change issues between civil society in Cameroon and the government. We now have women represented at local, district and national levels of the platform’s governance. We also succeeded in getting gender focal points in at least eight ministries dealing with natural resource management. But there is still progress that must be made. The important point is to ensure that women are not just present in meetings, but that they can actually influence decision-making processes. The work we’ve done is a starting point, but we need to increase awareness, capacity and resources. By strengthening women’s networks and partnering with men so they can be advocates for gender equality, we can make it clear that inequitable situations are not favorable for any kind of development.

5. How does access to information factor in? Information and communication are challenges. It can be difficult to reach rural communities in Cameroon because many of these areas lack electricity. In rural areas, most people—especially women—understand the local language, rather than French or English. If you want to be effective, you have to translate information into the local language, so we recognize that this can be a significant limiting factor in our work. Capacity to understand forest governance and gender issues is another barrier. We need to produce documents that are nontechnical, affordable and accessible. Within the REDD platform, we are building partnerships with rural radio stations and media at the district level. The advantage is that most of the villages do have access to radio. Next year, we intend to expand partnerships with rural radio programs to publish and transmit information to a larger audience.

The Access Initiative: Priorities for 2015

Carole Excell (Posted: February 9, 2015)

It can be very hard sometimes to set down hopes, dreams and resolutions in writing. This year, the Access Initiative decided it was time to illustrate the network’s hopes and wishes for 2015.

The Access Initiative is a network of civil society organizations working all over the world to ensure that decisions being made about the environment are open, participatory and fair. We collaborated with one of our amazing members, Margaretha Quina from the Indonesian Center for Environmental Law, to come up with images that represent 8 priorities for 2015.

We believe the achievement of this vision will help ensure the protection of people and a healthy planet.

View the full image here.

Research Reveals Jamaicans Still Have Limited Access to Information Despite Legislation

Rachel Mulbry (Posted: December 9, 2014)

A new report reveals that Jamaica’s progress on public participation and access to information is inadequate despite having enacted laws and establishing governance structures to enable this. The published report is the outcome of a partnership between The Jamaica Environment Trust (JET), Windsor Research Centre, Caribbean Coastal Area Management Foundation (CCAM) and the North Cockpit Country Local Forest Management Foundation to assess the state of access rights in Jamaica.

Access rights are: access to information, public participation and access to justice. The Jamaican TAI assessment, conducted over the period November 2013 to June 2014, was based on research using eighteen case studies that involve the use of access rights. The case studies covered a wide range of issues such as emergency events, air and water quality testing, approval of projects and reporting from facilities. These case studies were chosen for their relevance to areas of important biological diversity such as Cockpit Country, the Portland Bight Protected Area and Black River.

Entitled, “Environmental Information, Participation and Justice: An Assessment by The Access Initiative Jamaica”, the report reveals that while Jamaica has made significant strides in enacting laws on Access to Information and establishing independent and impartial courts and tribunals, there are severe limitations in the laws and practice in granting rights to the public to learn about and participate in projects, environmental policies and plans. A worrying issue uncovered is the delay in receiving decisions of courts and tribunals on environmental matters. This was highlighted in the case study of a request for information regarding the lease agreements for the Falmouth Cruise Ship pier made in September 2012. The request was denied by the Port Authority of Jamaica and an appeal was filed by JET to the Access to Information Appeals Tribunal. The appeal was heard on November 25, 2013 and December 3, 2013 and over one year later, the parties have not yet received the Tribunal’s decision.

The report not only identifies shortcomings in laws and practice but also outlines recommendations for reform. “It is anticipated that these findings will assist the Jamaican Government and civil society to make effective changes to promote access rights and strengthen the public’s voice in decisions that affects the environment and quality of life”, says Danielle Andrade, Legal Director of JET.

The TAI Jamaica Report was launched on November 20, 2014 at the Terra Nova Hotel in Kingston. The Jamaican coalition is part of The Access Initiative (TAI), a global coalition of civil society groups working to promote better access to information, participation, and justice in national‐level decisions that affect the environment in over 50 countries. The report was funded by the Critical Ecosystems Partnership Fund through a grant to the World Resources Institute (WRI) which is the secretariat for The Access Initiative (TAI). The report is now being circulated to key GOJ stakeholders and civil society partners. Read the executive summary here.

Mapping Indigenous Natural Resources: There’s an App for That

Article by Grace Heusner, Yale Law School ’16  (Posted: November 24, 2014)

The Mbenjele Look for Answers

In the mid-2000s, the Mbendjele Yaka pygmies of northern Brazzaville-Congo faced a problem. Environmental conservation groups were accusing them of widespread poaching of elephants, gorillas, and other bushmeat. While the Mbendjele did engage in subsistence hunting, they suspected that larger organizations were responsible for the majority of poaching. Yet they had no way to prove it. The Mbendjele were largely illiterate and had only limited ways of communicating with the outside world. While the group previously had success with icon-based applications to battle illegal logging in their forests, the Mbendjele now needed something more versatile. Searching for answers, they approached, Dr. Jerome Lewis, a University College London researcher who had been working with pygmies in the Congo for many years.

The Development of Sapelli

This need prompted Dr. Lewis to develop Sapelli with his organization, Extreme Citizen Science (“ExCiteS”). Sapelli is an icon-based mobile phone application that can be used to record GPS coordinates. Users select appropriate icons that describe an action or occurrence and plot its specific location. The Mbendjele used the app to record evidence of illegal poaching. Because Sapelli is open source, it can be customized for a variety of scenarios.

View the rest of the story here: http://epi.yale.edu/the-metric/mapping-indigenous-natural-resources-theres-app

New Tool Reveals How Jamaica’s Development Projects Impact People and Planet

By Carole Excell and Stephanie Ratte (Posted: November 20, 2014)

Portland Bight (PBPA) is Jamaica’s largest protected area, extending more than 200 square miles of land and 524 miles of sea. The region is home to 30,000 acres of mangroves, four dry limestone forests, and several threatened species, including the critically endangered Jamaica Iguana. But last year, the Jamaican government revealed plans to lease Goat Islands, two cays located in the protected area, to China Harbour Engineering Company (CHEC) to develop a sprawling $1.5 billion trans-shipment port. The project is expected to flatten the Goat Islands and dredge sizable areas, impacting fishing, tourism, biodiversity, and coastal resilience. What’s also troubling is that the government has released scant information about the project, preventing citizens from learning about how the port may impact them or voicing their concerns at an early stage of development.

This is not an isolated incident: Like many governments, Jamaica does not proactively disclose applications at an early stage for development projects like shipping ports, highways, housing developments, and more. What information is released—such as environmental impact assessments—is presented in a format that’s difficult for citizens to access and understand. Enter Development Alert!: The new tool from WRI’s Access Initiative and the Jamaica Environment Trust aims to promote transparency and public involvement around development projects that affect the environment and public health—projects like those planned in Goat Islands. Development Alert! proactively collects and consolidates information from different government agencies on applications for new development projects, obtaining this information through requests made using the country’s Access to Information Act. The free, mobile-friendly website plots recently approved or proposed large-scale development projects on an interactive map and acts as a hub for data and information about these projects. The map includes overlays of the boundaries of protected areas, fisheries, forest reserves, and land cover so users can easily see which projects are located in environmentally sensitive areas. Types of development projects featured include mining and quarrying; water management, treatment, and sanitation; housing developments; transportation systems and highways; tourism projects like hotel construction; hazardous waste; and more. Through the site, users can:

  • View proposed and approved projects and learn about the potential impact of developments happening in their area
  • Report a development they’ve seen in their neighborhood to help increase awareness about new projects, and
  • Get involved by commenting on a development and voicing their concerns. The website allows users to email public authorities directly and provides details about scheduled public hearings.

A Clearer Picture of Development in Jamaica

In Jamaica, Development Alert! currently identifies 32 projects that are likely to have significant health, environmental, social, or cultural impacts, including four projects classified as high impact. Of these, 11 are located in or around protected areas. Development Alert! shows, for example, that the trans-shipment port in Goat Islands is not only within the Portland Bight Protected Area, but is also located within a fishery—the Galleon Harbour Nursery—and the Great Goat Island forest reserve. The fishery acts as a critical habitat for rebuilding fish populations and safeguarding marine resources, while the forest reserve protects the biodiversity found within these natural and nationally important ecosystems. Users can click on the project to see that CHEC submitted an application on January 1, 2014 to conduct a geotechnical survey, and that the government has already approved this survey through the grant of a beach license. The license allows the company to investigate the suitability of the area, including the bearing capacity of the soil and rock, by conducting a survey of the “foreshore and floor of the sea at Galleon Harbour.” As the map shows, this area is protected as a Special Fisheries Conservation Area. The survey is done through the drilling of 27 boreholes on and offshore. By signing up for alerts, posting comments, or emailing the government agency listed, anyone can voice their concerns about the Goat Islands project.

Shedding Light on Development and Empowering Communities

Development Alert! aims to bring an unprecedented level of transparency and participation to energy, transportation, mining, and other types of development projects in Jamaica. It will help shed light on potentially harmful projects, and provides resources to ensure the public can understand their rights to participate in decisions about their country’s development. Strengthening the involvement of those most affected by development decisions can lead to better, more inclusive decision-making. Over the coming months, the Access Initiative hopes to launch similar platforms in other countries. Visit developmentalert.org to explore the tool and learn more.

COMUNICADO: Latinoamérica y el Caribe iniciaran en el 2015 la negociación de un convenio regional sobre los derechos de acceso

By Daniel Barragan (Posted: November 19, 2014)

El inicio de esta negociación es una buena noticia para la región ya que significa que en el mediano plazo los países de América Latina y el Caribe (ALC) contarán con un instrumento para garantizar un ejercicio efectivo de los derechos de acceso y para una mejor canalización y resolución de los crecientes conflictos socio-ambientales, con el consiguiente mejoramiento de la gobernabilidad democrática.

Con el compromiso asumido el pasado 6 de noviembre en Santiago de Chile por parte de los Gobiernos de Latinoamérica y el Caribe, y que da vida a un comité de negociación de un instrumento jurídico internacional, la ciudadanía de la región está cada vez más cerca de contar con una herramienta de carácter internacional que garantice la aplicación efectiva de los derechos de acceso a la información, participación y justicia en asuntos ambientales. Los llamados derechos de acceso, esenciales para la protección de nuestros recursos naturales, la garantía de los derechos de las comunidades y el desarrollo sostenible de nuestros países.

Representantes de 19 países de América Latina y el Caribe firmantes de la Declaración del Principio 10 -que promueve los derechos de acceso a la información, participación y justicia en asuntos ambientales-, junto con representantes de los países observadores y actores de la sociedad civil, se congregaron en la Cuarta Reunión de los Puntos Focales designados por los gobiernos de los países signatarios de la Declaración sobre la aplicación del Principio 10 de la Declaración de Río sobre el Medio Ambiente y el Desarrollo en América Latina y el Caribe realizada del 4 al 6 de noviembre en la sede de la CEPAL en Santiago, Chile. Como resultado de esta reunión se aprobó la Decisión de Santiago, en la cual se incluyeron puntos fundamentales para la continuación de la negociación regional, entre ellos la adopción de los contenidos de San José (provenientes de la anterior reunión de grupos de Trabajo en Costa Rica), como índice de temas para la negociación del instrumento, la creación de un comité de negociación en el que se reafirma la importancia de la participación del público, y la inclusión de nuevos países en la Mesa Directiva encargada de dirigir el proceso.

A Spotlight on Participants of the Fifth Global Gathering

By Carole Excell (Posted: October 27, 2014)

The Fifth Global Gathering of the Access Initiative in Bogotá, Colombia is fast approaching and we are excited to be convening a diverse group of civil society and community leaders from around the world. We look forward to sharing successes, challenges, and ideas around how information and technology can be used to better protect forests and improve community rights. The Access Initiative Secretariat is pleased to spotlight five participants of this year’s Global Gathering who are engaged in a variety of issues around forests, governance, community rights, and data. Rika Fajrini, Indonesian Center for Environmental Law (Indonesia) Rika Fajrini earned her bachelor degree at law from Universitas Indonesia majoring in law and social welfare. During her career at the Indonesian Center for Environmental Law (ICEL), she has been involved in several programs related to capacity building for environmental law enforcers such as the Environmental Judges Certification Program (in cooperation with the Indonesian Supreme Court and the Ministry of Environment), Public Information Service Training for District Courts, and Biodiversity Case Management Training for Judges and Prosecutors. Her published work with ICEL includes a study regarding corporate criminal liability on environmental cases. Currently, Rika is the Project Manager of the Strengthening the Right to Information for People and the Environment (STRIPE) Phase II project with The Access Initiative Secretariat. She will be involved in ICEL’s upcoming research on communities’ rights over biodiversity and genetic resources. She is excited to meet fellow TAI partners in this gathering to expand her horizons on forestry issues and to get insight about best practices and strategies to use information, data, and technology for community advocacy. Alice Thuault, Instituto Centro de Vida (Brazil) Alice is currently coordinating the Forest Transparency Initiative at Instituto Centro de Vida in Mato Grosso, Brazil. She has been involved in the Governance of Forests Initiative since its beginning and through her work as a researcher and public policy analyst, she advocates for better access to forest information in order to promote social control and improve forest management practices. She is also coordinating ICV’s monitoring of illegal logging in the state of Mato Grosso with the support of Global Forest Watch. She graduated with a degree in political science from the Institut d’Etudes Politiques (Sciences Po) in Rennes, France in 2005. She also holds a Master’s degree in Development Anthropology from the Aix en Provence (Aix-Marseille I) University (2007). Terry Parnell, Open Development Cambodia (Cambodia) Terry Parnell has almost 30 years of experience in the development and humanitarian relief sectors. Much of her career has focused on land and natural resource rights issues in support of rural and urban poor, primarily in Cambodia. In 2012, she initiated Open Development Cambodia, an open data website illuminating development trends. She is now managing its federated expansion across the Mekong region. While she has Master’s degrees in both Agriculture Education & Extension and Education Psychology, Parnell has tended toward holistic and interdisciplinary approaches which have required her to continually expand her skills and have exposed her to a wide range of development options and tools. She has worked in ten countries on three continents and has contributed to international land rights and open knowledge gatherings. In addition to English, Parnell speaks Khmer and basic Vietnamese. Ejas Ricardo Patrón, Gobierno Territorial Indígena (Nicaragua) Ejas Ricardo Patrón is an indigenous Mayangna. He currently works with the Territorial Government of Mayangna Sauni As in the municipality of Bonanza in the North Atlantic Autonomous Region of Nicaragua. He is engaged in the development of projects related to the protection of the land and biodiversity of the 1,638,100 square km territory of the Sauni As Mayangna Territorial Government. The Mayangna forest reserve is known as the lung of Central America. Mr. Patrón graduated from the School of General Psychology in the American University in Managua, Nicaragua. Today he works to defend his ancestral Mayangna heritage. Gill Conquest, Extreme Citizen Science, University College London (United Kingdom) Gill is a PhD student in the UCL Department of Anthropology and a member of the Extreme Citizen Science research group. Her research involves a detailed ethnographic investigation into the use of digital technologies to enable grassroots participation in natural resource management regimes across a range of global settings. By taking a comparative, multi-sited approach she will look at how the Extreme Citizen Science methodology differs from participatory methodologies that are already in practice, what factors influence the relative success of these methodologies in terms of the strength and meaning of local participation in each case, and what are the key challenges to ensuring a high level of engagement across different social groups and settings in complex, multi-stakeholder scenarios. Gill has previously worked on a range of projects promoting technological solutions to improve the engagement of marginalized groups for education and disability NGOs in the UK and overseas. She holds an MSc in Anthropology, Environment and Development from UCL. Follow us at the Global Gathering on Twitter: #TAIGG

América Latina y el Caribe da paso importante para asegurar transparencia y participación en los asuntos ambientales

By Daniel Barragan (Posted: September 19, 2014)

18 Gobiernos de América Latina y el Caribe acordaron los contenidos mínimos de un instrumento internacional para hacer efectiva la democracia ambiental en la región, durante la VII Reunión de los Grupos de Trabajo de la Declaración del Principio 10 en América Latina y el Caribe, que tuvo lugar en San José, Costa Rica los días 10 y 11 de septiembre. El contenido acordado para el instrumento regional busca asegurar la cabal implementación de los así llamados “derechos de acceso”, que incluyen el acceso a la información, instancias efectivas de participación y un acceso real a la justicia en materia ambiental. Los resultados de esta reunión tendrán un gran impacto sobre la vida de millones de personas, ya que sientan las bases y contenido mínimo del instrumento que se negociará en el marco del proceso regional para la aplicación del Principio 10 de la Declaración de Río de 1992 sobre el Medio Ambiente y el Desarrollo. Aprovechamos la oportunidad de felicitar a los gobiernos de Costa Rica, Chile, Panamá, Perú y San Vicente y las Granadinas por apoyar la negociación de un convenio regional de carácter vinculante. Un instrumento vinculante establece obligaciones legales para los Gobiernos, ofrece garantías jurídicas a los ciudadanos, a la vez que incorpora mecanismos de apoyo para su implementación. También apreciamos la apertura al diálogo de todos los Gobiernos presentes. Esperamos que los otros Países Signatarios de la Declaración realicen las actividades nacionales previstas en el Plan de Acción acordado en el marco del proceso regional, lleguen preparados a rendir cuentas en la próxima reunión de Santiago, y que en definitiva apoyen la negociación de un convenio vinculante. Esperamos especialmente que aquellos países que han ejercido roles de coordinación en este proceso regional, como México y la República Dominicana, expresen su compromiso con los derechos de acceso y la democracia manifestando su apoyo a la negociación de un convenio vinculante. Destacamos también la participación de la Iniciativa de Acceso América Latina y el Caribe (TAI por sus siglas en inglés), con representantes presenciales y virtuales de 14 organizaciones de los países de la región que trabajan por la implementación de los derechos de acceso, quienes han establecido un contacto constante con sus respectivos Gobiernos para coordinar acciones estratégicas que den a conocer al público el proceso regional. El acuerdo sobre los contenidos mínimos del instrumento refleja un importante compromiso político para avanzar hacia una cabal implementación de los derechos de acceso en nuestra región, y esta Reunión en particular, será un hito más en el proceso de desarrollo de un instrumento regional”, explicó Rolando Castro de CEDARENA de Costa Rica, en el marco de la VII Reunión de los Grupos de Trabajo.

Comunicado de Prensa: Gobiernos se reúnen en Costa Rica para importante decisión sobre derechos de acceso

By Daniel Barragan (Posted: September 10, 2014)

Gobiernos de América Latina y el Caribe se reúnen en San José de Costa Rica para tomar importante decisión que se espera fortalezca el respeto a los derechos humanos y la protección del medio ambiente. Gobiernos de 18 países de América Latina y El Caribe se reúnen en San José de Costa Rica los días 10 y 11 de septiembre para avanzar hacia un instrumento que asegure a la ciudadanía acceder a información de interés público, participar en las decisiones de desarrollo, y tener acceso ala justicia en materia ambiental. Estos tres pilares (información, participación y justicia) son los llamados derechos de acceso y se encuentran contemplados en el Principio 10 de la Declaración de Río de la Cumbre de la Tierra de 1992. Esta cita de gobiernos puede parecer distante de cualquier persona, sin embargo, tendrá un gran impacto sobre la vida de millones en el mediano plazo. La decisión que los Gobiernos acuerden en San José establecerá la naturaleza del instrumento y los estándares mínimos sobre los derechos de acceso a la información, la participación y la justicia en asuntos ambientales que los Gobiernos deberán cumplir. Muchas personas en América Latina y el Caribe sufren hoy las consecuencias e impactos de grandes proyectos industriales, extractivos y de infraestructura que ocasionan trastornos en sus formas de vida y de subsistencia, contaminación del aire y las aguas, cambios en el uso de la tierra, sin haber tenido la posibilidad de informarse oportunamente de estos proyectos. La falta de respeto a los derechos ambientales ha desencadenado un aumento significativo en los conflictos socio-ambientales en los países de la región, lo cual amenaza la gobernabilidad democrática y la paz social, además de la pérdida y deterioro de los recursos naturales de la región. Frente al aumento del nivel de conflictividad y ala necesidad de avanzar hacia un desarrollo sostenible debido a la crisis ambiental de la región, resulta necesario contar con un tratado internacional con obligaciones claras y robustas, fundado sobre los siguientes elementos claves:

  1. Sin la garantía del derecho ala vida, a vivir en un medio ambiente sano, al agua y la salud no habrá desarrollo sostenible posible.
  2. Los derechos de acceso (los tres pilares del Principio 10) son esenciales para la democracia. El desarrollo sostenible no es un proceso vertical de toma de decisiones, sino que exige la participación informada de la sociedad para lograr una ciudadanía activa y comprometida con el desarrollo.
  3. El instrumento sobre el Principio 10 debe establecer estándares mínimos que los Estados deban cumplir para fortalecer progresivamente cada uno de los derechos de acceso, así como mecanismos efectivos que aseguren su cumplimiento.

Confiamos que los Gobiernos signatarios de la Declaración sobre el Principio 10 que atenderán esta Reunión, organizada por la Comisión Económica para América Latina y el Caribe CEPAL y el Gobierno de Costa Rica, acordarán un contenido mínimo que esté acorde con los desafíos que hoy enfrenta la región para fortalecer los derechos de acceso y la democracia ambiental, y así avanzar hacia un desarrollo sostenible. Esperamos que este resultado anime a otros Gobiernos a sumarse a esta iniciativa regional. Las siguientes organizaciones de la Iniciativa de Acceso apoyan este comunicado:

  • Fundación Ambiente y Recursos Naturales. Argentina
  • Artículo 19. Brasil
  • Asociación Ambiente y Sociedad. Colombia
  • Centro de Derecho Ambiental y de los Recursos Naturales (Cedarena). Costa Rica
  • Fiscalía del Medio Ambiente. Chile
  • Centro Ecuatoriano de Derecho Ambiental. Ecuador
  • Unidad Ecológica Salvadoreña. El Salvador
  • Instituto de Honduras de Derecho Ambiental. Honduras
  • Cultura Ecológica. México
  • Comunicación y Educación. México
  • Centro Mexicano de Derecho Ambiental. México
  • Centro de Incidencia Ambiental. Panamá
  • Andrea Sanhueza. Miembro individual. Chile

Socios TAI de contacto: Daniel Barragán.Centro Ecuatoriano de Derecho Ambiental. Ecuador. dbarragan@ceda.org.ec Andrea Sanhueza.andreasanhuezae@gmail.com