If a tree falls in a forest and no one is there to hear it, does it make a sound?

If an activity with negative environmental and social impact is underway, but no one can find details about the project plans, the result is far worse because there is no accountability.

Environment and Human Rights

In Armenia, many large-scale activities, such as destructive mining projects, illegal logging, illegal fishing and hunting practices, and illegal construction at the expense of green spaces are just a few examples where access to information is critical to leveraging power and creating positive change. Locally affected populations must be empowered and enabled to demand access to government-sanctioned project licenses and approvals, as well as to propose changes and alternatives, or, when necessary, a ban on harmful activities.

The UNECE Aarhus Convention of 1998 mandates public access to information, public participation and access to justice, in governmental decision-making processes on matters concerning the local, national and transboundary environment. It focuses on interactions between the public and public authorities.

In Armenia, the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) has been charged with managing “Aarhus Centers,” or the implementation mechanism of the Convention. The Aarhus Centers help to connect justice seekers throughout the country and maintains a log of the most pressing environmental information in urban and rural areas. The site is available in Armenian, English, and Russian.

People often lack access to information about their environment, with dangerous consequences for themselves and their families. Even when they do have information, many feel that they are powerless to change the situation. Aarhus Centers around Armenia are helping to create a power shift by supplying environmental information and by increasing networking and campaigning against activities that harm environment and people.

Keep yourself updated on the latest Armenia-specific environmental news.  Subscribe to   ECOLUR Information Network‘s mailing list, in English, Armenian, and Russian.  

For environmental information covering the entire South Caucasus region, subscribe to CENN‘s mailing list, in English and Russian.