AKIPRESS.COM - An OSCE-supported annual meeting of the Aarhus Center representatives took place yesterday in Astana.

The event was organized in partnership with the Energy Ministry and the National Aarhus Center for some 30 government officials, the Supreme Court judges, environmental non-governmental organizations and heads of the 14 Aarhus Centers operating in Kazakhstan.

The participants discussed the ways to enhance the Aarhus Centers’ role in providing access to environmental information and justice as well as make their activities more target-oriented. They also reviewed opportunities to increase public participation in the environmental decision-making process and learned from the experts and representatives of the Aarhus Centers from Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan about best practices in the field.

The meeting was followed by a training session on the legal aspects of the Centers’ sustainable operations, fundraising opportunities and interaction with government agencies, civil society as well as the business and media communities.

“All OSCE participating states recognize that environmental disasters and conflicts over access to water, food and energy could be potential sources of crisis and instability,” said Ambassador Natalia Zarudna, Head of the OSCE Program Office in Astana. She added that the prevention of such confrontational developments at the national level depends upon strengthening cooperation and ensuring the equal participation of all members of society in dealing with environmentally sensitive issues.