RESOURCES

An Assessment of Access to Information, Public Participation and Access to Justice in Environmental Decision-Making in Asia-Pacific

Human rights and the environment are intertwined; human rights cannot be enjoyed without a safe, clean, healthy and sustainable environment; and sustainable environmental governance cannot exist without the establishment of and respect for human rights.

Technical Report and Recommendations to Strengthen Environmental Impact Assessment Procedures in ASEAN

This technical report examines the practical ways to strengthen environmental impact assessment (EIA) procedures in ASEAN to address critical environmental and human rights issues.

Feasibility Study on the Legal and Institutional Context in the Pacific: Towards the Development of a Sub-regional Instrument on Access Rights

This document presents an outline feasibility study on the Pacific’s legal and institutional context and capacities concerning the potential development of a sub-regional instrument on access rights.

An Assessment of the Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) of the States of Southeast Asia

In November 2015, 196 countries negotiated the Paris Climate Agreement, a landmark international treaty on climate change mitigation, adaptation, and financing, which set the long-term goal of limiting global warming to well below 2, preferably to 1.5 degrees Celsius compared to pre-industrial levels.

An Assessment of the Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) In-depth Country Focus: Cambodia, Indonesia, and Thailand

This assessment aims to present an analysis of three Southeast Asian states’ NDCs, namely Cambodia, Indonesia and Thailand, thereby providing insight into how a future ‘decarbonized’ picture might look like in these countries.

Establishing an Enabling Framework for Environmental Rights in Southeast Asia

Since 2014, the ASEAN Intergovernmental Commission on Human Rights (AICHR) has been leading work on human rights and the environment. Previous workshops and consultations with experts have examined the feasibility of establishing a regional framework instrument on environmental impact assessment (EIA) […]

USAID Mekong for the Future, implemented by the World Wide Fund for Nature, and its partners, explore the intersection between transparency, human rights, and the environment through a series of reports. Transparency is created throughout the entire decision-making process.

It starts with guaranteeing access to information rights to all. It is enabled through a civil society sector will the capacity, knowledge, and resources to make full use of data and information. Ultimately, civil society must be able to participate and contribute meaningfully to open processes of decision-making. Once transparency is present, then good and inclusive natural resources governance promotes better management for people and nature.

In a region like the Greater Mekong, where countries are fast developing, large infrastructures are being built to meet the needs of a growing population, and the increase in disposable income puts pressure on resources, transparency in natural resources governance is more critical than ever.

This report, prepared by ARIEL, for WWF and USAID Mekong for the Future examines access to environmental information in the Lower Mekong Region. Released February 2023.