OSCE supports training on Aarhus Convention in Albania

TIRANA, 28 March – The Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe gathered municipal officials, representatives of ministries, regional environmental agencies and NGOs in a two-day training course on the Aarhus environmental Convention, a key environmental information tool that ended in Tirana Wednesday, according to a statement. Albania ratified the Aarhus Convention in 2001. The Convention promotes public access to information, participation in decision-making and access to justice in environmental matters. The event was organized with support from the OSCE Presence in Albania and held at the Aarhus Information Centre in Tirana, which opened last December.
“Given the increasing number of environmental challenges facing Albania with the gradual introduction of EU standards, it is important that principles of good governance are applied to the country’s environmental protection policy. We hope this training course will help State and non-State actors resolve environmental problems through dialogue,” said Robert Mangham, Economic, Environment and Regional Reform Officer of the OSCE Presence.
The training course was financed through a grant from the Environment and Security Initiative (ENVSEC), a funding facility for environmental projects of which OSCE is a member along with five other international organizations. The event was part of a package of measures planned for 2007 to encourage the implementation of the Aarhus Convention under a memorandum of understanding between the Presence and the Ministry of Environment, Forestry and Water Administration signed last December.