Māris kļaviņŠ, azamat azizov, JĀnis zaļoksnis environment, pollution, development: the case of uzbekistan

participating countries than determines the basic principles how 
to form relations between the state and the public in the area of 
environ mental protection, establishing an internationally recognised 
standard.
The Aarhus Convention envisages environ mental protection as a 
precondition for ensuring the public welfare and right to live in an 
environ ment that is not hazardous to health.
The Aarhus Convention is based on the idea that if the public is 
active and well-informed, it can be a powerful force in sustainable 
and environ ment-friendly Development. Therefore, the members of 
society are not required to provide reasons as to why they need any 
specific environ mental information.
The public has a right to participate in adopting environ ment-
related decisions. These can be decisions on issuing permits for 
polluting activities or construction of major infrastructure objects. 
The public has a right to participate in the environ mental impact 
assessment process of proposed projects and in the preparation of 
various environ ment-related planning documents – including spatial 
planning – establishing restrictions for the use of land and buildings 
(constructions).
Exercising their rights to participation, members of the public 
may express their opinions and concerns with regard to the proposed 
To facilitate this objective, 
the Aarhus Convention 
guarantees the public 
(any of its member) the 
following individual 
rights:
 
Œ the right to access 
environmental 
information at the 
disposal of the state;
 
Œ the right to participate 
in environmental 
decision‑making;
 
Œ the right to apply to 
court in environmental 
matters.
Figure 11.3. 
In need of 
strong environmental 
legislation
Turkish  environ mentalists 
in anti‑nuclear/anti‑dam 
protest in Istanbul, on the 
24
th
 anniversary of the 
Chernobyl disaster.

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11. ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT: LEGISLATION, POLICIES, INSTITUTIONS
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plans, projects or activities. The institution that takes the decision, 
in turn, has an obligation to take into account and evaluate these 
opinions and concerns. Furthermore, if the institution rejected 
the people’s protest against the proposed project, it is obliged to 
give reasons for such rejection. If these public rights are violated, 
everyone, including non-governmental organisations (environ mental 
associations), is entitled to apply to court to protect the infringed 
public rights.
Nowadays, the role of the public in state governance has increased 
significantly in both environ mental policy drafting and implementa-
tion. For all that, it is up to the members of the public themselves 
whether they exercise these extensive rights.