The Access Initiative and the Partnership for Principle 10

Summary of Activities at the World Summit on Sustainable Development, Johannesburg, South Africa

The World Resources Institute launched Closing the Gap: Information, Participation, and Justice in Decision-making for the Environment, the new report based on the findings of The Access Initiative, at two events at the World Summit on Sustainable Development in Johannesburg, South Africa. On Tuesday, August 27, we hosted a press conference that focused on the report. We were delighted to welcome two of our partners, Dr. Somrudee Nicro of Thailand Environment Institute and Thabo Madhilaba, of Environmental Justice Networking Forum in South Africa, who spoke at the press conference. The press conference was followed by a major launch of the report at the IUCN Environment Center. In her presentation, Dr. Elena Petkova, lead author of the report and Director of The Access Initiative, focused on the global messages of the report. In subsequent comments, Alicia Bárcena of the Economic Commission for Latin America (ECLAC) and Jeremy Wates, Secretary of the Aarhus Convention, discussed the relevance of the report to their work at the regional level. TAI partner Godber Tumushabe of the Advocates Coalition for Development and Environment (ACODE), Uganda, focused his comments on the utility of the report to work at the national level.

The Access Initiative coalition, including partners from Chile, Hungary, Indonesia, Mexico, South Africa, Uganda, and the United States, hosted an outreach event for NGOs at the Global Civil Society Forum. Partners presented their work and answered questions. Representatives from civil society in Zambia, Mozambique, Nigeria, Iran, the United Kingdom, Brazil, and many other countries contributed to a discussion about how to use The Access Initiative to promote work for environmental information, participation, and justice. Follow-up contacts and discussions with many of the participants will likely lead to the inclusion of new countries in the coalition.

The Partnership for Principle 10, a Type II outcome of the World Summit on Sustainable Development, was launched on August 29 at the Sandton Convention Center. The Partnership for Principle 10 is a vehicle to build on findings of The Access Initiative and engage governments and civil society institutions in action to improve implementation of Principle 10. In a presentation to the United Nations, the members of the partnership, which includes governments, civil society organizations, donors, and other stakeholders, committed themselves to work together to implement practical solutions to increase public access to information, participation, and justice for environmentally sustainable decisions. Speakers included Jonathan Lash, President of World Resources Institute, First Secretary Mauricio Hurtado of the Environmental Division of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Chile, and Lars-Erik Liljelund, Director General of Sweden’s Environmental Protection Agency. Other speakers included Godber Tumushabe, Director of ACODE, Martha Delgado, President of Presencia Ciudadana Mexicana in Mexico.

A press conference was held on August 29 to present the Partnership for Principle 10 to the media. Uganda’s Minister of Environment, the Hon. Ruhakana Rugunda, described the Partnership for Principle 10 as an opportunity for governments to work with stakeholders to include local voices in decision-making, as well as an opportunity to seek international attention for implementing information, participation, and justice in environmental decisions in Uganda. Hon. Michael Meacher, Minister of Environment of the United Kingdom, said that the Partnership for Principle 10 was one of the most important Type II partnerships that the Summit had generated. Other speakers included Alvaro Umaña of the United Nations Development Program, Martha Delgado of Presencia Ciudadana Mexicana, Kristalina Georgieva of the World Bank, and Achim Steiner of IUCN.

In meetings held on August 25 and 27, members of the Partnership for Principle 10 came together to discuss the common strategy and specific commitments of the partners. They also provided input into crucial decisions about the governance structure of the partnership, the first meeting of partners, and the timeline for negotiating specific commitments.

The Access Initiative will continue as a civil society coalition, while the Partnership for Principle 10 will include governments, NGOs, and international organizations. The two networks are separate and civil society organizations must make independent decisions about joining each network. The Access Initiative will continue to focus on independent assessments and will publish a step-by-step "hot-to" guide to for conducting such assessments in January 2003.

The founding partners of the Partnership for Principle 10 are listed at our website, www.pp10.org. The government partners include Chile, Hungary, Mexico, Uganda, Italy, Sweden, the United Kingdom, the National Environment Management Council of Tanzania, and the European Commission. International organizations include UNDP, IUCN, and the World Bank.