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Access Rationale1992

178 governments sign the Rio Declaration. Rio’s Principle 10 mandates appropriate access to information, encouragement of public participation, and effective access to judicial proceedings.

2002 WSSD Plan of Implementation calls on governments to implement Principle 10.

A global civil society coalition promoting access to information, participation, and justice in decisions about the environment.

The Access Initiative

Six organizations jointly lead The Access Initiative

The Access Initiative Objective

Promote the accelerated and enhanced implementation of Principle 10 at the national level.

The Access Initiative’s Strategy

• Facilitate the use of an indicator-based tool to assess government performance

• Support civil society teams in an increasing number of countries to conduct assessments

• Utilize the Partnership for Principle 10 to urge governments to act on assessment results

Components of a TAI AssessmentLaw Evaluation

16 General Law indicators applied once per assessment

Case Studies in Access to Information, Public Participation, and Access to Justice

A2I – At least 8 case studies, each

comprising 27 indicators

PP – At least 6 case studies,

each comprising 31 indicators

A2J – At least 4 case studies, each

comprising 33 indicators

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Capacity Building Evaluation

12 General Capacity Building indicators applied once per assessment

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TAI Growth & Development• Late 2000 – early 2001: Conceptual framework,

assessment method and organizational structure developed

• Late 2001-2002: Assessment method piloted in nine countries

• September 2002: At WWSD, assessment results published and PP10 launched

• 2003 - 2005: Assessment method refined; expansion to over 40 countries

• 2006: Version 2.0 launched; expansion continues

The Access Initiative, 2002Chile

Hungary

India

Indonesia

Mexico

South Africa

Thailand

Uganda

United States

The Access Initiative Today

TAI Assessment Tool

TAI provides a tool to rigorously assess law and practice related to:• Access to information• Public participation• Access to justice• Capacity building

The Five TAI Assessment Steps

1. Build a National TAI Coalition

2. Plan a TAI Assessment

3. Conduct Research

4. Prepare Analysis and Publish Results

5. Raise Awareness and Advocate for Change

Moving from Assessment to Action• Enhanced credibility for civil society

critiques

• Platforms for constructive government-civil society dialogue and collaboration

• Explicit commitments from all participants to improve law, practice, and capacity

Moving from Assessment to Action• The Ugandan coalition used assessment findings to

negotiate a commitment from their government to table a comprehensive act establishing citizens’ right to access government information. The act was passed into law in 2005.

• TAI-Mexico produced a citizen’s guide to access water information. The guide’s release led to an opportunity for TAI-Mexico provide further recommendations on improving access to information to the government.

• Members of the TAI-Chile coalition have become integral players in the design of Chile’s pollution release and transfer index, which will provide citizens with information about the amount and type of emissions from industrial facilities.

Partnership for Principle 10• Translates Rio principles into action by

promoting transparent, inclusive, and accountable decision-making at the national level

• Provides a platform for Principle 10 activities worldwide

• Comprised of governments, NGOs and international organizations who make explicit commitments to improving access

PP10 Strategy• Develop strategies to implement Principle 10 at the

national level

• Facilitate collaboration and learning across countries

• Serve as a mechanism for monitoring and self-evaluation

• Mobilize financial resources for Principle 10 implementation and TAI assessments

• Promote recognition & implementation of Principle 10 in international agreements, processes & initiatives

History of PP10• 2002: Launched at WSSD• 04/2003: First Meeting of Partners,

Lisbon• 05/2004: Second Meeting of Partners,

Washington DC• 10/2005: Third Meeting of Partners in

London

PP10 Partners and Observers

Governments:Bolivia, Chile, European Commission, Hungary, Italy, Mexico, Sweden, Uganda, Ukraine, United Kingdom, United States

International Organizations:IUCN, UNDP, UNEP, The World Bank

National NGOs:More than 20 organizations representing Argentina, Bolivia, Chile, Ecuador, Hungary, Indonesia, Mexico, Portugal, South Africa, Thailand, Uganda, the United Kingdom, and the United States

For More InformationVisit:

www.accessinitiative.orgwww.pp10.org

Contact:

TAI / PP10 Secretariatc/o World Resources Institute10 G Street, NE, Suite 800Washington, DC 20002E-mail: access@wri.org