BELARUS NEWS AND ANALYSIS

DATE:

OSCE Office to open an Aarhus public environmental information Centre in Minsk

/noticias.info/ The first Aarhus Centre in Belarus, which aims to raise the public's awareness of environmental issues and encourage participation in decision-making, will open on 20 December in Minsk.

It is the result of a joint project between the OSCE Office in Minsk and the Ministry of Environment. Vice Minister Aleksander Apatsky and Ambassador Ake Peterson of the OSCE Office will take part in the opening.

The 1998 Aarhus Convention, which Belarus supports, establishes a number of environment-related public rights and calls on authorities to promote them. It helps enhance the information conveyed to the civil society on environmental matters, encourages citizens to participate in discussions and decisions in the environmental area, and provides legal advice and expertise on decisions, issues and legislation concerning the environment.

Media representatives are invited to the opening ceremony at 12.30 on 20 December at ulitsa Oktiabrskaya, 5 / National Press Centre, Minsk.

For more information please contact:

Ms Raisa Sinelnikova
Manager of the Aarhus Centre
Tel. (375-17) 677-17-75

Source:

http://www.noticias.info/asp/aspComunicados.asp?nid=128572&src=0