LISBON, PORTUGAL, April 3, 2003 -- The Partnership for Principle 10 (PP10) opened its first formal meeting today with two member nations making significant commitments.

The PP10 provides a platform for governments, international institutions, and non-governmental organizations (NGOs) to articulate specific commitments reaffirming their pledges to “Principle 10” of the Rio Declaration at the 1992 Earth Summit. Principle 10 calls on governments to increase public access to information, participation, and justice with regard to policy decisions that affect the environment.

The Government of Mexico announced the signing of an agreement between the government and public interest groups to work towards implementation of the country’s new Federal Law of Transparency and Access to Governmental Public Information.

“We are committed to raising the awareness of government officials and other actors regarding their responsibilities, duties, and rights,” said Regina Barbra Pirez of Mexico’s Ministry of Environment and Natural Resources. “All are necessary to make the system work.”

Additionally, the Government of the United Kingdom pledged to provide US$300,000 for international projects promoting access to information over the next two years.

“We see the Partnership for Principle 10 as fully aligned with our domestic and international objectives,” said a spokesperson for the United Kingdom’s Foreign and Commonwealth Office. “We recognize its potential to make a real difference to sustainable development worldwide.”

Other governments participating in the first meeting of PP10 include Chile, Hungary, Sweden, Uganda, and representatives of the European Commission. Four international organizations, the World Bank, The World Conservation Union-IUCN, the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), and the United Nations Environment Program (UNEP) sent representatives to join 15 civil society groups from 10 member countries.

“We see the PP10 as an opportunity to seek international attention for implementing access to information, participation, and justice in environmental decision-making in our country,” said Edith Kateme-Kassajja of the Ugandan Ministry of Water, Lands, and Environment.

Godber Tumushabe, of the Ugandan NGO Advocates Coalition for Development and Environment (ACODE), agrees. “We find that being part of an international collaboration strengthens both the credibility and the effectiveness of our work at the national level.”

The Partnership for Principle 10 builds on the work of The Access Initiative (TAI), a global coalition of public interest groups initiated by the World Resources Institute (WRI). TAI is dedicated to the independent assessment of government performance in providing citizens with an informed voice in environmental decision-making.

“The Partnership for Principle 10 represents a unique experiment in international cooperation,” said Dr. Elena Petkova of World Resources Institute, which is serving as the interim secretariat for the partnership. “It brings together governments, international organizations, and public interest groups dedicated to implementing the aims of Principle 10 and to holding each other accountable for results.”

The Luso-American Foundation (FLAD) in Lisbon is hosting the Partnership for Principle 10 meeting. Earlier this week, FLAD and WRI welcomed six Portuguese NGOs into TAI and promised the coalition support in initiating a national-level assessment of environmental decision-making in Portugal. It will be the first such assessment in Western Europe.

The first meeting of the Partnership for Principle 10 concludes Saturday, April 5.

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For more information, contact:

World Resources Institute
Paul Mackie, senior media officer, +1(202)729-7684, pmackie@wri.org
Christopher Lagan, WRI media officer, (202) 729-7684, clagan@wri.org