The right to know….

by The SVG Human Rights Association

The St Vincent and the Grenadines Human Rights Association has a mission to promote the civil, political, economic, social and cultural rights of the people of St Vincent and the Grenadines through education, training, representation, documentation and advocacy and by networking to influence the Government and other agencies on the issues mentioned above.{{more}}

It therefore supports the issue of Environmental Democracy as a Human Rights issue, agreed to by the UN at its conference in Rio De Janeiro, Brazil in 1992, since it addresses the equal and meaningful public participation in decision making and programming of land and natural resource decisions, which speaks to three mutually reinforcing rights:

a. The right to freely access information on environmental quality and problems

b. The right to participate meaningfully in decision making, and

c. The right to seek enforcement of environmental laws or compensation for harm.

Environmental Democracy also speaks to the involvement and participation of marginalized and vulnerable groups, which the SVG HRTS considers a critical step to promoting equity and fairness in sustainable development.

The St Vincent and the Grenadines Human Rights Association therefore endorses the sentiment that without meaningful exchange between Government and the public, inclusive of the media on environmental issues, communities will be stifled and decisions that are detrimental to the public WILL NOT BE challenged or remedied. It therefore calls on ALL Vincentians to learn more about Environmental Democracy’ “Principle 10 of the Rio declaration; the right to know”!