Information, Public Participation and Access to Justice in Environmental Matters

Since the 1992 Rio Declaration, several environmental agreements emphasise participatory rights and the need to include communities in the environmental decision-making processes. Time and again, a lack of community engagement along with weak information and consultation procedures that disregard the voice of the affected communities have resulted in unsustainable resource management. Examples from developed and developing countries show the need for increased participation of non-state actors, joint management of shared natural resources and stronger obligations of government agencies to involve communities in resource decisions. Along with an effective global framework dealing with participatory rights, regional collaboration can help to promote sustainable resource governance.