An online seminar on increasing the importance of the role of the Ombudsman, the media and youth in promoting the principles of the Aarhus Convention was held by the OSCE Center in Ashgabat for representatives of the Ministry of Agriculture and Environmental Protection and other relevant ministries, departments and non-governmental organizations of Turkmenistan.

The participants got acquainted with the best practices of promoting the principles of the Aarhus Convention and ensuring access to justice in environmental matters in the implementation of effective approaches to the involvement of the Ombudsman, the media and youth of countries such as Georgia, Kazakhstan, Montenegro and Serbia.

The speakers of the seminar were representatives of the Secretariat of the UNECE Aarhus Convention, the Chairman of the UNECE Task Force on Access to Justice, as well as employees of the Secretariat of the OSCE/CEC and the Ministry of Environment and Agriculture of Georgia.

This seminar is part of the project "Promoting the implementation of the Aarhus Convention and strengthening cooperation with the Ombudsman, the media and youth on environmental issues".
Ivana Markovich Boskovich, Adviser on Economic and Environmental Issues, OSCE Center in Ashgabat noted:

“The Aarhus Convention is an important tool in achieving good environmental governance and environmental democracy. It grants the public rights and imposes obligations on the Parties and public authorities with respect to access to information, public participation and access to justice in environmental matters. Since 2012, the OSCE Center in Ashgabat has been supporting Turkmenistan in implementing the provisions of the UNECE Aarhus Convention through the Aarhus Center project funded by the Center, which was implemented by the non-governmental organization “Tebigi Kuvvat”.

The United Nations Economic Commission for Europe Convention on Access to Information, Public Participation in Decision-making and Access to Justice in Environmental Matters was adopted on June 25, 1998 in the city of Aarhus in Denmark. The purpose of the Convention is to support the protection of human rights to a favorable environment for their health and well - being, to access to information, to public participation in decision-making and to access to justice in environmental matters.