World Environment Day provides an
opportunity to shed light on the increasing importance of the right to
environmental information, as recognized in documents such as the Rio
Declaration from the UN Conference on Environment and Development (Eco -92).
ARTICLE 19 South America believes
the right to a healthy and sustainable environment for all requires governments
to disclose complete and current information on construction, public policies
and environmental programs. Access to information provides a more transparent
and participatory decision-making process on development and environmental
issues. It also improves governments’ performance in meeting people's demands
and gives more legitimacy to environmental decisions by ensuring citizens’
rights to participate, and by promoting accountability.
