Latest news with #AarhusConvention
LeMonde
25-05-2025
- Politics
- LeMonde
Opponents of the 2030 Winter Olympics in the Alps file two appeals demanding a public debate
What if the French Alps 2030 Olympic project violates French and international law? A citizens' collective recently brought their concerns before a United Nations oversight body and France's administrative court. Residents of the Alps have been asking for months that the organizing committee and public authorities hold a debate about the mega-event planned in their region – an event requiring significant amounts of artificial snow and the construction of new hospitality infrastructure. But so far, their warnings about the impact the Winter Games would have on already vulnerable mountain ecosystems due to climate change have been met with silence. "This is the first time that citizens have brought before the UN the lack of public participation in the Olympic Games organization process by the project promoters, in order to ensure compliance with the Aarhus Convention, which France signed and ratified [in 2002]," explained Jérôme Graefe, the lawyer representing the plaintiffs. By doing so, France pledged to guarantee the right to information, public participation in decision-making and access to justice in environmental matters.
Scoop
27-04-2025
- Politics
- Scoop
NZ Gene Technology Bill Breaches International Convention Directives On Public Right To Know On GMO
Press Release – GE Free NZ The process of writing The Gene Technology Bill and the regulatory system it sets up, contravenes the Aarhus directives in a number of ways. The New Zealand government's Gene Technology Bill is in breach of the directives of the Aarhus Convention to consult the public, allow public participation and ensure access to justice. On April 20, the Aarhus Convention's new GMO directives was passed. The protocol was ratified by 27 of the 35 parties and sets a precedence for international harmonisation on all parties and signatories to the Cartagena Protocol and Aarhus Conventions. [1] Executive Secretary of the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD), Astrid Schomaker, clarifies the directives on the procedures for consulting with the public when developing a national biosafety framework. This includes facilitating capacity building programmes with the participation of the public for further developing access to information, public participation and access to justice with respect to genetically engineered/ modified/gene edited (GMOs/GE) organisms. [2] The process of writing The Gene Technology Bill and the regulatory system it sets up, contravenes the Aarhus directives in a number of ways. There has been lack of public and stakeholder participation from the start, which continues to this day. The Bill makes broad exemptions of GE products from regulation and traceability which takes away the right to choose from farmers and consumers. 'The lack of consultation and democratic public participation in writing The Gene Technology Bill goes against everything the directives say is important,' said Claire Bleakley, president of GE Free NZ. 'In light of the international Convention's directives it is clear that the process around The Gene Technology Bill is seriously broken.' The charity organisation Physicians and Scientists for Global Responsibility (PSGR) has written to the Ombudsman to investigate whether the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment (MBIE) officials and the responsible Minister, the Hon Judith Collins directly undermined public law conventions and processes to their benefit in advancing policies and laws in favour of the deregulation of gene editing technology. [3] Also just released is a Parliamentary petition sponsored by Lisa Er calling for people to sign the petition to 'Halt the Bill and set up a Commission of Inquiry.' This is in direct response to the deliberate omission of the public, farmers and businesses in the drafting of the Bill. [4] As a signatory to the Cartagena Protocol the Aarhus Convention guides New Zealand to abide by the directives and set up a Commission of Inquiry on the Gene Technology Bill. [5]
Scoop
27-04-2025
- Politics
- Scoop
NZ Gene Technology Bill Breaches International Convention Directives On Public Right To Know On GMO
The New Zealand government's Gene Technology Bill is in breach of the directives of the Aarhus Convention to consult the public, allow public participation and ensure access to justice. On April 20, the Aarhus Convention's new GMO directives was passed. The protocol was ratified by 27 of the 35 parties and sets a precedence for international harmonisation on all parties and signatories to the Cartagena Protocol and Aarhus Conventions. [1] Executive Secretary of the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD), Astrid Schomaker, clarifies the directives on the procedures for consulting with the public when developing a national biosafety framework. This includes facilitating capacity building programmes with the participation of the public for further developing access to information, public participation and access to justice with respect to genetically engineered/ modified/gene edited (GMOs/GE) organisms. [2] The process of writing The Gene Technology Bill and the regulatory system it sets up, contravenes the Aarhus directives in a number of ways. There has been lack of public and stakeholder participation from the start, which continues to this day. The Bill makes broad exemptions of GE products from regulation and traceability which takes away the right to choose from farmers and consumers. Advertisement - scroll to continue reading 'The lack of consultation and democratic public participation in writing The Gene Technology Bill goes against everything the directives say is important,' said Claire Bleakley, president of GE Free NZ. 'In light of the international Convention's directives it is clear that the process around The Gene Technology Bill is seriously broken.' The charity organisation Physicians and Scientists for Global Responsibility (PSGR) has written to the Ombudsman to investigate whether the Ministry of Business, Innovation and Employment (MBIE) officials and the responsible Minister, the Hon Judith Collins directly undermined public law conventions and processes to their benefit in advancing policies and laws in favour of the deregulation of gene editing technology. [3] Also just released is a Parliamentary petition sponsored by Lisa Er calling for people to sign the petition to 'Halt the Bill and set up a Commission of Inquiry.' This is in direct response to the deliberate omission of the public, farmers and businesses in the drafting of the Bill. [4] As a signatory to the Cartagena Protocol the Aarhus Convention guides New Zealand to abide by the directives and set up a Commission of Inquiry on the Gene Technology Bill. [5] References: [2] [3]
Associated Press
31-01-2025
- Politics
- Associated Press
Save the Caspian Sea campaign requests access to Environmental Information in major Oil and Gas deals in Kazakhstan
/ -- The Save the Caspian Sea (SCS) campaign is calling for the release of crucial environmental information contained in the PSAs for Kazakhstan's Karachaganak and Kashagan oil fields, as well as the concession agreement for the Tengiz oil field. In a letter sent to the Kazakhstan government earlier this month, Vadim Ni, the founder of SCS, specifically requested the disclosure of environmental provisions and any relevant environmental data in these agreements that are not classified under international law. This was reiterated by President Tokayev this week, as he ordered the government to accelerate negotiations to revise Kazakhstan's production sharing agreements (PSAs) and secure better terms for the country. The request is based on the Aarhus Convention, an international treaty that gives the public the right to access environmental information. The SCS campaign believes that, even though these agreements are considered confidential, they likely contain valuable details on environmental protection that should be made available to the public given the ongoing environmental crisis the Caspian Sea is facing. This issue has become a matter of public interest in recent years. In 2023, the Chairman of the Ak Zhol DPK faction in Kazakhstan's Parliament, A.T. Peruashev, filed a request with the Constitutional Court asking for these agreements to be made public. However, the court rejected the appeal, stating that it was not within their jurisdiction. Public pressure for transparency continued in 2024. A petition led by the Baitak political party and the Coordination Council of the Association of Legal Entities Alliance of Entrepreneurs Parasat called on the Ministry of Energy to disclose the terms of the PSAs for the oil fields in question. While the petition gathered significant support and was submitted in December 2024, there has yet to be any response from the Ministry. The continued secrecy surrounding these agreements is concerning, especially as it relates to the environmental impact of these major oil and gas projects. The Save the Caspian Sea campaign is now urging authorities to release the requested information in accordance with the Aarhus Convention, which guarantees the public's right to access environmental information. This would ensure transparency, help protect natural resources and support better decision-making about the long-term environmental effects of oil and gas operations in western Kazakhstan. Vadim Ni X Instagram Legal Disclaimer:
