Sona Ayvazyan, Chair of Transparency International Anti-corruption Center participated in the Fourth Meeting of the Parties to the Aarhus Convention in Chisinau, Moldova from June 29 to July 1, 2011. For three days, negotiators from 44 signatory countries discussed the status of the implementation, the work program for the coming years, the compliance mechanism and individual cases of non-compliance, including by Armenia, public participation in international fora (PPIF), and whether to open the Aarhus Convention to other countries outside the UNECE region.

Since the last Aarhus Meeting of the Parties (MOP-3) in 2008, the number of cases brought before of the Compliance Committee by citizens, organizations and countries has increased three-fold - from about 10 to 35 - showing not only the need for this instrument but also the need to strengthen it further.

In the final decision on compliance by Armenia on a case concerning public participation in the decision-making and access to justice in connection with the issuance and renewal of licenses to a developer for the exploitation of copper and molybdenum deposits in the Lori region of Armenia, the Meeting of the Parties
- endorses the findings of the Committee;

- encourages Armenia to continue its constructive dialogue with the Committee and to accelerate the process for the new legislation on EIA, including procedures on public participation in it, to be finalized and come into effect;

- invites Armenia to take the necessary legislative, regulatory, and administrative measures and practical arrangements to ensure that, inter alia: thresholds for activities subject to an EIA procedure, including public participation, are set in a clear manner; the public is informed as early as possible in the decision-making procedure, and that reasonable time frames are set for the public to consult and comment on project-related documentation; and a system of prompt notification of the public concerned on final conclusions of environmental expertise is arranged; and

- requests Armenia to submit an initial progress report to the Committee by 1 December 2011, to draw up an action plan to be submitted by 1 April 2012, and to report to the Committee at least six months in advance of MOP 5.