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グリーンアクセスプロジェクト　 Green Access Project

What is the Green Access Project?Background and Purposes

Prof. Dr. Noriko Okubo

Osaka University, JAPAN

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グリーンアクセスプロジェクト　 Green Access Project

Japanese Initiative

・ Japan is not a party to the Aarhus Convention. ・ However, historically there are widespread grassroots activities on energy saving and nature conservation.・ After the Rio Conference in 1992 the Japanese government has recognized the importance of public participation.

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グリーンアクセスプロジェクト　 Green Access Project

Japan Fund for Global Environment (JFGE)

・ Established in 1993

・ Supporting environmental NGOs in Japan and developing countries. http://www.erca.go.jp/jfge/english/index.html

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グリーンアクセスプロジェクト　 Green Access Project

GEOC and EPO

・ Global Environmental Outreach Centre and the Environmental Partnership Office were established in cooperation with the UN University in 1996.

http://www.geoc.jp/english/

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グリーンアクセスプロジェクト　 Green Access Project

Councils and proposal systems

・ Since the early 1990s, various councils and proposal systems have been legally introduced.

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グリーンアクセスプロジェクト　 Green Access Project

Background of the Green Access Project

・ Japan has experienced a remarkable development in public participation in environmental issues.

・ However, there have been some criticisms of its effectiveness. There are many unsolved environmental issues.

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グリーンアクセスプロジェクト　 Green Access Project

What are the reasons?

・ Environmental right and the Green Access Rights have not been sufficiently guaranteed in Japan. ・ The weakest point: 　　　　　　 Access to justice・ Many cases have been dismissed just because of lack of standing.・ NGOs don’t have standing.

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グリーンアクセスプロジェクト　 Green Access Project

Purposes of the Green Access Project

・ To propose appropriate Green Access models for Japanese society, which could simultaneously meet global standards and preserve the historical and original achievements that have arisen as a result of the leading environmental cases in Japan

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グリーンアクセスプロジェクト　 Green Access Project

Perspectives : three options at the international level

1 To ratify the Aarhus Convention,

2 To strengthen the UNEP Guideline in 2010,3 To amend the existing international conventions and frameworks

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グリーンアクセスプロジェクト　 Green Access Project

UNEP Guideline

・ UNEP Guideline should and could be strengthened and concretized. ・ As to legislation, we can recognize a better and broader guarantee of the Green Access in other Asian countries, especially access to justice, than in Japan. ・ However, the problem is implementation.

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グリーンアクセスプロジェクト　 Green Access Project

Need for cooperation

・ More realistic and speedy to pursue the third option: For this we require the intensive support of the Parties to the Aarhus Convention. ・ Pressure should be continuously maintained to compel the government to ratify the Aarhus Convention.

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グリーンアクセスプロジェクト　 Green Access Project

Call for international conference

・ 30 March 2013, at Awajishima, a small island near Osaka, Japan

Nature Awaking Continuation

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グリーンアクセスプロジェクト　 Green Access Project

Call for international conference

・ 30 March 2013, at Awajishima, a small island near Osaka, Japan

Nature Awaking Continuation

Thank you for your attention!