Moving from Principles to Rights: Rio 2012 and Access to Information, Public Participation, and Justice

The rights of access to information, public participation, and access to justice are essential to sustainable development. The 1992 Rio Declaration provided for these rights in Principle 10 and Agenda 21 moved them into reality in many countries. Now renewed commitment is needed for the full implementation of the rights in all countries.The 2012 Summit's focus on the theme of improving institutional frameworks should galvanize nations to improve their national environmental governance, develop international instruments giving legal force to Principle 10, and implement these principles into international bodies' decision-making processes.This paper reflects insights on the implementation of Principle 10 from the research, on the ground experiences, and core beliefs of over 250 non-governmental organizations (NGOs) working in 50 countries within The Access Initiative Network together with ARTICLE 19 - a human rights organization that promotes freedom of expression and freedom of information all over the world.