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European Commission: first report on application of public participation concerning plans and programmes.
Publisher: European Commission, 2010.

National Broadband Plan: Connecting America. The United States Federal Communications Commission (FCC) released its National Broadband Plan, setting forth a strategy to expand access to broadband Internet services to millions of people. Chapter 15 of the broadband plan is specifically intended to make it easier for Americans to actively participate in civil society and hold their government accountable. Among its recommendations "to create an open and transparent government", the Plan calls for primary legal documents of the federal government to be free and accessible to the public on digital platforms; Government should make its processes more transparent and conducive to participation by the American people; and all data and information that the government treats as public should be available and easy to locate online in a machine-readable and otherwise accessible format in a timely manner. For data that are actionable or time-sensitive in nature, the Executive Branch should provide individuals a single Web interface to manage e-mail alerts and other electronic communications from the federal government. All responses to Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) requests by Executive Branch and independent agencies should be made available online at www.[agency].gov/foia. The Executive Branch should also revise its Data Quality Act guidence to encourage agencies to apply the Act more consistently and facilitate the re-publishing of government data. With Executive Summary, full report, and list of easily-accessible recommendations. ENGLISH
Publisher: Federal Communications Commission (FCC), 2010.

Greening Justice: Creating and Improving Environmental Courts and Tribunals interactive book launch. It is often said that justice delayed is justice denied. Environmental courts and tribunals (ECTs) have been proposed as a quick, easy, and cheap solution to the challenges of access to justice in environmental conflicts. But under what conditions do ECTs meet these expectations? The Access team is hosting a book launch and live webcast on 19 April 2010 from 3:00pm to 4:15pm EST at WRI 10 G St NE, Washington DC 20002, which will also be webcast, for our publication Greening Justice: Creating and Improving Environmental Courts and Tribunals. The book launch panelists include: George (Rock) Pring and Catherine (Kitty) Pring, co-authors of Greening Justice: Creating and Improving Environmental Courts and Tribunals; Honorable Merideth Wright, Environmental Judge, Vermont Environmental Court; Ritwick Dutta Supreme Court Advocate, India; Jacob Werksman, Director of Institutions and Governance Program, World Resources Institute. Join in a lively debate on the creation of, and effectiveness of environmental courts and tribunals around the world. This in-depth study was published by The Access Initiative (TAI), the largest civil society network dedicated to ensuring that communities have a voice in decisions concerning their natural resources. TAI partners have worked in over 45 countries to identify gaps in laws, institutions, practices, and tools for removing barriers to access to justice in environmental matters. Participation in the event can also be facilitated by Live webcast: http://www.accessinitiative.org/resource/greening-justice. Send questions during webcast to Mkerdeman@wri.org titled "Greening Justice question". The publication can be found on The Access Initiative website: http://www.accessinitiative.org/resource/greening-justice ENGLISH
Dates: Mon 19 Apr 2010 to Mon 19 Apr 2010
Publisher: World Resources Institute, 2010.

Sustain labour: Trade Union clearing house on POPs. Every day, millions of workers are exposed to chemical substances at the manufacturing stage, not only in the chemical industry but also in the downstream sectors where these substances are used: agriculture, building, trade and woodworking industry, automotive sector, textiles, information technology etc. Workers are among the most vulnerable sectors due to the fact that many are exposed to chemicals both in the production level and as consumers, suffering from poisoning, cancer, respiratory problems and skin allergies, among others. This website on Persistent Organic Pollutants (POPs) is a working tool, mainly for workers and Trade Unions, but also for other stakeholders and major groups. It has been designed to be user-friendly and seeks to inform you and to put you in contact. It increases your awareness about the need for urgent reduction and elimination of POPs; helps you to know what to do; exchanges information and trade union practices on POPs; informs about impacts on health and environment; tells you about alternatives to these dangerous hazards; and puts you in contact with other relevant projects. The clearing house is in English and Spanish; French will be added soon.
Publisher: International Labour Federation for Sustainable Development, 2010.

Participation in Water Policy Development. The second lecture of the university course "Water Policy in the Western United States" examines ways to participate in decision-making on local, state and federal water policy. Included are material on international water policy and examples of NGO initiatives in environmental justice, wastewater management and water recycling. The complete series of lectures by Pat Ferraro, Silicon Valley California's leading water management expert, is available at http://sites.google.com/site/envs129/home. ENGLISH
Publisher: San Jose State University (California), 2009.

Water Project Financing, Public Outreach & Participation. Before a water project can be built, funding sources have to be secured. Local agencies must perform outreach to secure funds from other government agencies. Local tax payers and service customers must also be informed and willing to fund the remaining costs after using "other people's money" in the forms of grants, loans and bonds. Project financing plans gather all relevant information to inform all interested parties of the needed cash flow throughout the life of the project. Public participation is driven by state and federal environmental legislation and the need to gain support for bond elections (i.e. local referenda which approve or deny giving public agencies the power to borrow a specific amount of money from financial credit markets through the sale of interest-bearing certificates), if required. Political influence can shift final rate setting decisions to relieve favored sectors from paying a fair share of costs, most commonly, in setting agricultural water rates. Lecture 15 of the course, Water Policy in the Western United States, by Pat Ferraro, adjunct professor of Environmental Studies at San Jose State University. The complete course is available at http://sites.google.com/site/envs129/home. ENGLISH
Publisher: San Jose State University (California), 2009.

World Library of Toxicology (WLT). The World Library of Toxicology, Chemical Safety, and Environmental Health is a free global Web portal that provides the scientific community and public with links to major government agencies, non-governmental organizations, universities, professional societies, and other groups addressing issues related to toxicology, public health, and environmental health. It seeks to overcome barriers to the sharing of information between countries by creating a partnership of national and international organizations contributing high-quality scientific information resources in toxicology and environmental health to a borderless data depository. The World Library of Toxicology is a work in progress made possible by the efforts of our global network of Country Correspondents and users. With links to Toxipedia on general toxicology information and user guide. ENGLISH
Publisher: Toxipedia, 2009.

APC ICT Policy Handbook. This handbook is principally concerned with the most recent generation of new information and communications technologies: Computing and information technology; Broadcasting, including radio and television through terrestrial and satellite networks; Telecommunications, including telephony and data communications; and the Internet and Internet-enabled services. The increasing pervasiveness of ICTs within society changes the relationship between the citizen and the state. ICTs facilitate both individual empowerment and state power. This gives rise to complex issues concerning rights and civil liberties. The authors argue that civil society organisations should be engaged in ICT policy issues because the way ICTs develop will have an enormous impact on future possibilities of working for social justice and sustainable development. The Aarhus Convention is mentioned in the handbook as an example of an international agreement which establishes information and participation rights in environmental decision-making. With discussions of e-waste and the climate change impacts of expansion of ICT access. ENGLISH
Publisher: Association for Progressive Communications, 2009.

Cutting the Carbon Knot: flyer for official UNFCCC 15th Conference of the Parties side event. This flyer was prepared in support of the side event on pollutant release and transfer registers held at UNFCCC CoP-15 in Copenhagen on 15 December 2009. The event was organized by the Government of Armenia in cooperation with the International PRTR Coordinating Group. ENGLISH
Dates: Tue 15 Dec 2009 to Tue 15 Dec 2009
Publisher: United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (UNECE), 2009.

United Nations Regional Centre for Preventive Diplomacy for Central Asia (UNRCCA). The goal of the United Nations Regional Centre for Preventive Diplomacy for Central Asia (UNRCCA) is to assist and support the governments of Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan in building their conflict prevention capacities through enhanced dialogue, confidence building measures and establishing genuine partnership in order to respond to existing threats and emerging challenges in the Central Asian region. The United Nations Regional Center for Preventive Diplomacy in Central Asia (UNRCCA) has been established in Ashgabat to identify and address existing and potential threats and to strengthen cooperative security partnerships between the five governments of Central Asia, regional and international organizations. The Centre is led by a Special Representative of the Secretary-General. Three clusters of priority areas for Central Asia have been identified. They include Environment Degradation and Management of Common Resources such as Water and Energy. Environmental insecurities in Central Asia are the result of poor management of water resources, waste management, including of toxic and biological waste, radio-activity and pollution from uranium in the region, as well as ineffective agriculture policies which previously led to mono-culture, desertification and health pollution from the overuse of pesticides. Nuclear contamination is a problem for all countries in the region without exception. Fast developing extractive industries bring prosperity, but at the same time can have a negative impact on the region’s bio-diversity. Climate change could also have security implications in terms of environmental conflicts and migration. The Aral Sea tragedy affects climate change far beyond Central Asia. With Communications Center, Facts and figures, Latest developments, Maps, Reports, Program of actions, Public outreach, Resources and Video clips. In English and Russian. МИССИЯ РЦПДЦА Региональный Центр ООН по превентивной дипломатии для Центральной Азии (РЦПДЦА) действует с целью оказания поддержки правительствам Казахстана, Кыргызстана, Таджикистана, Туркменистана и Узбекистана в наращивании их потенциала в области предотвращения конфликтов путем улучшения диалога, укрепления доверия и установления реального партнерства для реагирования на существующие угрозы и потенциальные вызовы в Центрально-азиатском регионе.
Publisher: UNRCCA, 2009.

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