OSCE Office holds seminar on access to justice in environmental matters in Armenia

YEREVAN, 17 May 2007 - Raising awareness among judges, prosecutors and lawyers on the Aarhus Convention and its access to justice component was the aim of an OSCE-supported seminar held in Yerevan today.

Some 20 representatives of the Armenian justice system and NGOs discussed the mechanisms of implementing the Convention in the country, and its correlation with the national environmental legislation and the Constitution to ensure public's right to environmental protection.

"The fundamental right to a healthy environment is protected by the Constitution, the Aarhus Convention, and the 1975 Helsinki Final Act, a founding document of the OSCE. The Office stands ready to assist Armenia in further developing effective legal mechanisms and procedures, taking into consideration ecological, economic, cultural and other conditions of the country," said Ambassador Vladimir Pryakhin, the Head of the OSCE Office.

Thanking the OSCE Office for the initiative, Aghvan Hovsepyan, the General Prosecutor of Armenia, underlined the importance of the justice pillar of the Convention and emphasized that both professional legal bodies and civil society have to be well-informed of the rights and obligations in protecting the environment.

Recommendations by participants of the discussion will serve as the basis for introducing amendments to current legislation and procedures.

The seminar was the first in a series to be implemented in Yerevan and Armenian regions by the General Prosecutor's Office and the Environmental Public Advocacy Centre with the support of the OSCE Office.