Topic: Access Initiative

Lalanath de Silva, Director of WRI’s Access Initiative, answers questions on how the “right to know” is evolving in both developed and developing countries.

Lawyers in India advocate for environmental rights, one case at a time.

Environmental democracy is about government being transparent, accountable, and involving people in decisions that affect their environment. 20 countries in The Access Initiative (TAI) network are expanding their work to promote environmental democracy. Here is a summary of what’s ahead in 2008 and beyond.

Laws alone are not enough to ensure environmental protection. Civil society organizations often play a critical role in bringing those laws to life. In Uganda, Greenwatch has done exactly that for the country’s laws on access to environmental information, the first of which passed in 1998.

The Access Initiative (TAI) and its partners are launching the first of its kind assessment of environmental governance in China. It is the first step towards engaging civil society organizations and government agencies to promote the public transparency, participation, and accountability that are essential foundations for sustainable development.

Once isolated Paraguay has changed radically due to a boom in soybean exports, which has brought changes in land and pesticide use. 

A Right to Information request in India has revealed that an Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) for a bauxite mining project in Ratnagiri, Maharashtra, was copied at least in part from a Russian EIA for a bauxite mine.

In early July 2007, representatives of The Access Initiative from around the world met in Washington DC to discuss best practices for training new partners to push for improvement in environmental governance.

The Access Initiative looks to expand its work on access to justice, access to information, and access to participation in the Middle East.

The Access Initiative Expands to South Asia, with a New Focus on Poverty and Water