The analysis draws upon the information and conclusions presented in nine assessments drafted by the national teams (Chile, Hungary, India, Indonesia, Mexico, South Africa, Thailand, Uganda, United States).

This report goes beyond previous attempts to measure progress in the development of the legal framework providing for information, participation, and justice by including an assessment of its practice. It identifies common trends in the development of legal frameworks, and also presents findings based on assessments of public participation practices in selected case studies in the pilot countries. It seeks to answer the question: What have national governments done and what must they still do to ensure that people can access environmental information, participate in decisions that affect their environment, and make use of the mechanisms of justice to enforce the laws governing access?