Transcript First Meeting of the Aarhus Convention Task Force on Electronic Information Tools Sofia, 23 – 24 June , 2003 UNEP.Net initiative on Access to.

First Meeting of the Aarhus Convention
Task Force on Electronic Information Tools
Sofia, 23 – 24 June , 2003
UNEP.Net initiative on
Access to Environmental Information
[email protected]
Division of Early Warning and Assessment
Environmental Information
Many different sources of
definitions
Any information in written, visual, aural, electronic or
any other material form on:
 European Union Council
(a)
Directive 90/313/EEC
 Europe’s Environment – The
Dobris Assessment, 1995
 Aarhus Convention on
Access to Information,
Public Participation in
Decision-making and
Access to Justice in
Environmental Matters
(1998)
The state of elements of the environment, such
as air and atmosphere, water, soil, land,
landscape and natural sites, biological diversity
and its components, including genetically
modified organisms, and the interaction among
these elements;
(b) Factors, such as substances, energy, noise and
radiation, and activities or measures, including
administrative measures, environmental
agreements, policies, legislation, plans and
programmes, affecting or likely to affect the
elements of the environment within the scope of
subparagraph (a) above, and cost-benefit and
other economic analyses and assumptions used in
environmental decision-making;
(c) The state of human health and safety, conditions
of human life, cultural sites and built structures,
inasmuch as they are or may be affected by the
state of the elements of the environment or,
through these elements, by the factors, activities
or measures referred to in subparagraph (b)
above;
Characteristics of Environmental Information
Multi-thematic
Division of Early Warning and Assessment
(Content)
Amorphous
(Format)
Multi-stakeholder
(Demand)
Multi-stakeholder
(Supply)
Multi-access points
(User- Provider linkages)
air, water, land, biodiversity, chemicals
etc.
text, audio-visual, map, image,
electronic
User community (Government,
Academia, NGOs, Civil society, Business)
Provider community (Government,
Academia, NGOs
Internet, institutional networks, public
access centres
Division of Early Warning and Assessment
Barriers to Information Access
Legal / Political
 Absence of national legislation or
Institutional
 Lack of proactive dissemination
multilateral environmental agreements
(Aarhus Convention)
 Lack of compliance
 Reluctance to share
 Prohibitive charges
 Unwieldy formats
Linguistic
 Different language groups inhibits
Technological
 Lack of technical capacity (Internet,
access and exchange
fax, tel, PCs, copiers)
 Lack of technical skills
Division of Early Warning and Assessment
Access to Environmental Information
--- a multi-layered challenge
Need
Response Actions
Policy
Mandate
Aarhus, Principle 10, etc
Networking
Supply
Institutional framework
Production/
Repackaging
Demand
Meeting client needs
Dissemination
Mechanism
Web, information centers,
media
Environmental Information Service
(UNEP Governing Council decision 20/5)
Division of Early Warning and Assessment
Definition
A formal service
providing wide-ranging
and authoritative information to anyone
who needs it
Division of Early Warning and Assessment
The UNEP-Infoterra Global Network
INFOTERRA
177 government designated national focal points
(Environmental Information Centres)
National Environmental Information Centre
The communication hub
Division of Early Warning and Assessment
Federal Ministries
(Environmental Planning &
Management)
Media Contacts
Local Authorities
(Environmental Planning &
Management)
Ministry of Environment
National
Environmental
Information
Centre
Thematic
Environmental
Networks &
Information
Clearinghouses
Environmental
Education (Formal
& non-formal)
Environmental Protection Agency
Libraries & Documentation
Centres
NGOs & Civil Society
Internet/www
Division of Early Warning and Assessment
ENFO - Environmental Information Centre
17 St Andrew St, Dublin, Ireland
Division of Early Warning and Assessment
INFOTERRA - NAMIBIA
Issue
National Thematic
Centre
Environmental Policy
Namibia Economic Policy
Research Unit
Desertification
Desert Research
Foundation
Development Planning
National Planning
Commission
Mining
Chamber of Mines
Environmental Research
Multidisciplinary
Research Centre
Waste Management
De Beers
NGO liaison
Namibian Nongovernmental Forum
Structure of Information Service
Division of Early Warning and Assessment
National Environmental Information Service
Component Services
Chemicals (PRTRs)
Biosafety and green consumerism
Energy efficiency
Waste Management
Development planning (EISs)
Air quality
Water quality
Division of Early Warning and Assessment
http://www.UNEP.Net
What is UNEP.Net ?
Division of Early Warning and Assessment
Global partnership for the delivery of environmental
data and information.
3 inter-locking components:
 Global Environmental Network of the United Nations
(the network of providers of environmental data and information
working with UNEP or known to UNEP).
 Global Environmental Information Portal (one Internet
gateway to a multitude of sources accessible via multiple pathways).
 Global Environmental Information System (a system
comprised of a networking component and various information
delivery mechanisms).
UNEP.Net Management Structure
Division of Early Warning and Assessment
Board
(DEWA-centric)
GC, HH and MW
Technical
Coordination
Committee
Arendal
Bahrain
Bangkok
Cambridge
Geneva
The 8 development teams
Mexico
City
Nairobi
Sioux
Falls
Division of Early Warning and Assessment
“Content is the King”
Policy
 Law (MEAs, national legislation),
Assessment
 Major themes - Air, land, water,
Management
Best practice, methodologies, case
Other
 Early warning advisories, disasters
policy, strategies, action plans,
programmes, guidelines, regulations,etc.
(national down to municipal level)
biodiversity. Hotspots. Monitoring.
 Effect of pollutants on health
 EISs, Industrial facilities (PRTR)
studies, education & awareness raising
Environmental emergencies, accidents
Division of Early Warning and Assessment
Basic Characteristics of an Information Resource
 Theme
 Geographic scope
 Resource type (Map, Database, Technical report,
Graphic, Press release, etc)
Examples:
– a map showing forest cover in Kenya
– an assessment report of the groundwater quality in
Botswana
– a database of endangered flora species in Ghana
UNEP.Net approach to content development
Division of Early Warning and Assessment
 Catalogue priority content in the Environment
Directory (institutions and their info/data
resources)
 Extract priority content from existing services on
the web (ECOLEX, Proteus, GEO data portal)
 Possible future application of information agents
for trawling the web for other useful content
Definitions – Information Service and Portal
Division of Early Warning and Assessment
 An information service (application) provides
access to information resources of a particular
type (irrespective of theme and geographic scope)
 A portal draws information and data from global
UNEP.Net information services and, in the
absence of a comprehensive service, points to
information resources on authoritative web sites.
Division of Early Warning and Assessment
Division of Early Warning and Assessment
Division of Early Warning and Assessment
Profile to portal evolution
Division of Early Warning and Assessment
Country profile
NGO
NGO
Administrator
Govt.
Administrator
Country portal
Decentralized
administration
UBA
ECOLEX
(Law)
Austrian
Ecobureau
(Ökobüro)
Division of Early Warning and Assessment
Division of Early Warning and Assessment
Division of Early Warning and Assessment
Division of Early Warning and Assessment
Where from (ETTF) ?
Division of Early Warning and Assessment
 Discussion paper on the use of electronic tools in the implementation
of the Aarhus Convention prepared by European ECO Forum,
REC/CEE and UNEP/INFOTERRA (Cavtat, July 2000)
 Workshop on the use of electronic tools in the implementation of the
Aarhus Convention (Arendal, 8-9 March 2001)
 Decision I/6 on electronic tools adopted by the first meeting of the
Parties to the Convention (Lucca, Oct 2002). Bulgaria leading ETTF.
 Best practice compendium (www.rec.org/e-aarhus)
 Aarhus Capacity Building Service (Decision I/10)
 First Meeting ETTF (Sofia, 23-24 June 2003)
Where to next?
Division of Early Warning and Assessment

Need to assess access

Important role for NGO partners

WRI’s Access Initiative (TAI)
(www.accessinitiative.org)

Document best practice (or lack of)

Transfer best practice (I/10)

Capacity Building (Aarhus Service)