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  • From: Natasha Primo <natasha AT apc.org>
  • To: commons-research AT lists.ibiblio.org
  • Subject: [Commons-research] Research/Demo Session on ‘Aarhus and the Commons’
  • Date: Mon, 12 May 2008 19:46:04 +0200

Hello All,

My name is Natasha Primo. I am with the Association for Progressive Communications (APC).

Apologioes for the lateness of the submission to this particular list. I submitted the 2 proposals to the research-demo list by the 26 April deadline ... but am following up on Giorgos' suggestion that I post them here as well for discussion. 

I have been traveling the last two weeks ... just by way of explaining why I am submitting this now only.  I also just submitted to the pentabarf system.  

I hope this is in order? 

I look forward to your comments.

Natasha



Begin forwarded message:

From: Natasha Primo <natasha AT apc.org>
Date: 25 April 2008 7:25:45 PM
Cc: karen banks <karenb AT gn.apc.org>, Heather Ford <heather AT icommons.org>
Subject: Proposal for Demo Session on ‘Aarhus and the Commons’

Proposal for Demo Session on ‘Aarhus and the Commons’
Prepared for the iCommons iSummit 2008, Sapporo, Japan
Submitted by the Association for Progressive Communications

Contact Persons: 
Natasha Primo (Natasha AT apc.org
Pavel Antonov (pavelan AT bluelink.net)

Abstract:

Commons advocate James Boyle has brought to light the important parallel between the environmental movement of the 1950s and 1960s and the commons movement of today – the success of both relied upon convincing the public that a previously intangible good was both tangible and worthy of protection. For the green movement, this good was the environment; for the commons advocates of today, it is the public domain. With this parallel in mind, what can the burgeoning commons and A2K movement learn from the successes and challenges faced by environmental advocates in recent years? 

APC believes that there is a growing common ground between environmental advocacy and commons advocacy. It lies in a mutual concern with the expansion of intellectual property rights, a commitment to finding the best methods for exploiting internet and web 2.0 technologies for movement-building and education, and the need to develop effective strategies for policy advocacy. 

With these broad themes in mind, we propose a participatory action research session examining the nexus between the environmental and commons movements, with a particular focus on the potential applicability of the Aarhus convention model for commons advocacy.

The Aarhus Convention is a pioneering legal instrument shaped by the environmental movement which institutes the rights of citizens to access information, participate in decision making, and access justice over environmental matters Galvanized by the collapse of totalitarian regimes in Central and Eastern Europe. Signed in 1998 and entered in force in 2001, the convention sets out a unique multi-stakeholder compliance review mechanism, seen by APC and the Council of Europe as an inspiring example for public participation in the legal shaping of the public domain.

The basic structure of the workshop will be as follows:

1. A primer on the Aarhus convention, exploring successes, challenges, and lessons learned, with a focus on the key role of civil society organizations in its development and implementation.

2. A participatory brainstorming session examining how the three main rights granted by Aarhus (access to information, public participation, and access to justice) could be replicated in a similar tool for the commons / A2K movement to engage with legislation surrounding the public domain. 

3. A brief workshop examining the value and problems related to use of the internet as a central tool for advocacy and education (the Aarhus convention’s provision of access to environmental information is contingent upon canny use of the internet by public authorities to disseminate information.) All participants will be asked to share stories of their internet use for advocacy, particularly use of web 2.0 tools, with all of their attendant potential for awareness-raising and movement-building as well as negative aspects such as privacy concerns and the ‘cyberisation’ of human society disconnecting us further from the living environment.

Appendix: 
Summary of the three main rights granted by the Aarhus “Convention on Access to Information, Public Participation in Decision-Making and Access to Justice regarding Environmental Matters.” (source: http://europa.eu)

Access to environmental information: Any person has the right to know how good or bad his/her environment is. For example, if a tourist wants to know about the quality of the bathing water in a country and this country has implemented the Århus Convention, the traveller should be able to obtain this information from the competent authorities in the place of destination, either as a response to a request for information or through information tools, such as the Internet. Under the Århus Convention, public authorities are obliged to organise, make accessible and disseminate the environmental information in their possession. This means they are obliged to keep and share the environmental information relevant to their functions, such as on the quality of water, air and the atmosphere, on land and biological diversity; on energy, noise, development plans and policies; and on the effects of these on human health, safety and the environment. This information has to be made accessible and disseminated, for example by putting it on the Internet, informing the media or using other channels of communication.

Public participation: The Århus Convention entitles the public - individuals and environmental organisations - to participate in environmental decision-making. This means that public authorities have to inform them in time of relevant proposals, so that they can submit their comments. These comments need to be taken into consideration. The authorities are also required to inform the public of their final decisions and the underlying reasons.

Access to justice: The Convention enables citizens and environmental NGOs to act as "environmental watchdogs" by granting them the right to go to court in cases of failure to apply environmental law.

Boyle, James. A Politics of Intellectual Property: Environmentalism For the Net? http://www.law.duke.edu/boylesite/Intprop.htm

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Natasha Primo
National ICT Policy Advocacy Initiative
Association for Progressive Communications (APC)
South Africa
Tel: +27118372122
Fax: +27865099147
Skype/Yahoo: natashaprimo
Email: natasha[at]apc.org







  • [Commons-research] Research/Demo Session on ‘Aarhus and the Commons’, Natasha Primo, 05/12/2008

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