Posts Tagged ‘environmental info’
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6 December 2012
Expanding Environmental Democracy in Latin America
By Carole Excell Excell is Senior Associate, The Access Initiative, World Resources Institute. WRI published this article on Nov. 30. A number of Latin American and Caribbean (LAC) countries recently took a huge step forward in ensuring environmental democracy for their citizens. At a UN Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean (ECLAC) meeting […]
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9 November 2012
Japan’s Nuclear Power Plants and Information Disclosure
By Lawrence Repeta Repeta teaches law at Meiji University and is a regular FreedomInfo.org contributor. The following report on a seminar includes information one speaker’s proposal that the Tokyo Electric Company, which operates several major nuclear power plants, be covered by Japan’s information disclosure law. He writes: The political stalemate described in my post of […]
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21 June 2012
RIO+20 Showing Positive Signs on Transparency
Some positive moves on environmental transparency are being seen by activists in the text emerging from the RIO+20 conference in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. The current text for the “outcome document” contains some language which opens up the door to further implement Principle 10, which deals with access to information, public participation and access to […]
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10 February 2012
Access Issues Being Debated in Context of Rio Conference
By Carole Excell Excell is Senior Associate, The Access Initiative, World Resources Institute The Rio+20 Conference, the largest conference on sustainable development in 10 years, is only five months away. A first round of informal negotiations on the “Outcome Document” text just concluded in New York. This document will form the basis of the official […]
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13 October 2011
Irish Commissioner Applies EU Rule to Nationalized Bank
The Irish Commissioner of Environmental Information has ruled that the nationalized Anglo Irish Bank must respond to requests for information relating to the environment. The bank, nationalized in 2009, meets the criteria for a “public authority,” under the European Communities (Access to Information on the Environment) Regulations (2007), according to a decision by Commissioner Emily […]
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22 July 2011
Groups Urge More Access to Environmental Information
The decision-making processes concerning the environment are too opaque and governments should commit to transparency steps when they meet next year for Earth Summit 2012, according to a joint report by Article 19 and The Access Initiative. Titled Moving from Principles to Rights, the report says “people in over half the countries around the world […]
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16 September 2010
Japan Denies Whaling Information to Greenpeace
The recent conviction of two anti-whaling activists in Japan was facilitated by the government’s denial of information about whale meat sales by a government-subsidized company, according to the environmental group Greenpeace. The “Tokyo Two” were convicted Sept. 6 of theft and trespass and given a one year jail sentence, suspended for three years. The Japanese […]
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15 October 2009
Ukrainian Group Protests Lack of Transparency by EBRD in Connection with Major Power Project
The National Ecological Centre of Ukraine (NECU) recently criticized the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development for violating EBRD procedures on public consultations and not providing full information about a major power transmission project in Ukraine. “On a recent fact-finding mission to the region, NECU representatives uncovered a highly haphazard approach from the project promoter Ukrenergo—Ukraine’s national […]
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5 February 2009
New Regulations Require Israeli Government to Disclose Environmental Information
Jerusalem, Israel – On February 2, 2009, the Interior and Environmental Protection Committee of the Knesset, the Israeli Parliament, approved new regulations that would compel Israeli public authorities to make environmental information available to the public. Even though environmental information was specifically mentioned in Article 9 of Israels 1998 Freedom of Information Law, further implemented […]
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16 May 2008
GTI Calls EBRD Transparency Proposal Insufficient
The Global Transparency Initiative April 8 expressed its “deep disappointment” at the Public Information Policy proposed by the management of the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development. In a letter to the EBRD Board of Directors, GTI said, “Taken as a whole, we are of the view that the EBRD is completely failing to take […]
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5 October 2007
EBRD Preparing to Issue Discussion Paper on Disclosure
The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development is very close to putting out a "discussion paper" as a first step in a review of its Public Information Policy (PIP) and inviting public comments, according to an EBRD official. The information policy review is being done in parallel with an ongoing review of the EBRD’s environmental […]
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9 May 2007
China Adopts First Nationwide Open Government Information Regulations
By Jamie P. Horsley The Regulations of the People’s Republic of China on Open Government Information (OGI Regulations) published on April 24, 2007, and effective one year later on May 1, 2008, mark a turning point away from the deeply ingrained culture of government secrecy toward making Chinese government operations and information more transparent. (Note […]
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19 April 2007
European Commission proposes reforms, seeks public input on greater access to EU documents
The European Commission yesterday published a Green Paper and launched a new public consultation process to reform existing rules on public access to European Parliament, Council and Commission records. This action represents an important step in the European Transparency Initiative, launched in November 2005 with the goal of a “‘high level of transparency’ to ensure […]
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14 July 2006
Documentos en Defensa del Medio Ambiente
Emilene Martinez-Morales para freedominfo.org Coordinadora de Programas de Transparencia, Proyecto Mexico, National Security Archive, George Washington University Inglés Grupos ambientalistas en México, desde el estado de Chiapas hasta Coahuila, están utilizando exitosamente la leyes de acceso a información impactando directamente políticas relacionadas con la ecología. El trabajo de estas organizaciones ha arrojado información clave en […]
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14 July 2006
Using FOI Laws in Mexico in Defense of the Environment
Español Environmental groups in Mexico, from the southern state of Chiapas to Coahuila on the U.S. border, are actively using access to information laws to directly impact ecological policies. Their work has shed light on the controversial La Parota Dam project in the state of Guerrero and uncovered irregularities in the administration of water services […]
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1 April 2003
New Matrix Examines IFI Disclosure Policies in Fresh Detail
A new microscope being applied to international financial institutions is making it possible for the first time to see their information disclosure policies in high definition. A 255-item matrix, focused on 10 institutions, is making possible the most sophisticated comparison ever of transparency policies. The preliminary findings indicate many common weaknesses – few open meetings, […]