MINSK, 13 June (BelTA) – The Minsk declaration will help expand the applicability of the Espoo Convention, First Deputy Natural Resources and Environmental Protection Minister Iya Malkina told reporters during the 7th Meeting of the Parties to the Espoo Convention on 13 June, BelTA has learned.
“Plans have been made to pass the Minsk declaration during the session. It aims to expand the applicability of the Espoo Convention, including the strengthening of the influence of the mechanisms of the convention on partaking countries and putting a special emphasis on the countries of Eastern Europe, Central Asia, and the Caucasus,” Iya Malkina said.
The first deputy minister said that the Meeting of the Parties to the Espoo Convention takes place in Minsk with the participation of the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe. Belarus draws much attention to the interaction with international agencies in building balanced ecological policy, she stressed.
The Meeting of the Parties to the Espoo Convention takes place in Minsk on 13-16 June. Attending the events are nearly 200 representatives from 45 member states of the Espoo Convention, including ministers and deputy ministers, high ranking officials of international organizations and financial institutes, the public.
Adopted on 25 February 1991 in Espoo, Finland, the Convention entered into force on 10 September 1997. It has been ratified by 45 states. The convention sets out the obligations of the Parties to assess the environmental impact of certain activities at an early stage of planning. It also lays down the general obligation of the States to notify and consult each other on all major projects under consideration that are likely to have a significant adverse environmental impact across boundaries.
