This study will explore how the draft Convention on Access to Information, Public Participation in Decision-Making and Access to Justice in Environmental Matters (hereinafter “draft Convention”) can be used to open up new possibilities for public participation in international decision-making. The purpose of this study is not to provide a detailed analysis or critique of the draft Convention. The purpose is solely to distill the principles of the draft Convention whose application must be promoted by the Parties in international organizations and decision-making processes relating to the environment.
This study will examine the extent to which public participation opportunities exist in some of the international fora in which UNECE Member States participate. The study will both identify ways in which international institutions already promote the principles of public participation embodied in the draft Convention and ways in which the future Parties to the Convention can further promote these principles in the international institutions in which they participate.