Belarus ceases to participate in the Aarhus Convention – such a decree was signed on July 18 by Alexander Lukashenko. According to the authorities, the country “faced a biased and discriminatory attitude on the part of the governing bodies of the convention, facts of pressure on a sovereign State”.

According to environmentalists, the withdrawal from the convention is another step towards the international isolation of Belarus. What consequences will this lead to – in the DW material.

Has Belarus complied with the Aarhus Convention?

The Aarhus Convention is a convention of the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe “On Access to Information, Public Participation in Decision-Making and Access to Justice in Environmental Matters”. Belarus has been a member since 2001, but according to environmentalists, it has not always followed the requirements and recommendations.

According to the coordinator of the Belarusian anti-nuclear campaign Tatyana Novikova, the construction of the Belarusian nuclear power plant was a flagrant case of violation of the Aarhus Convention. “In Belarus, after the accident in Chernobyl, there was a strong negative attitude towards the peaceful atom. When they started to build BelNPP, people started to resent, demanding that their opinion be taken into account. That’s exactly what the Aarhus Convention provides”, says the ecologist.

In July 2012, anti-nuclear activists, including Tatyana Novikova, were detained. They were sentenced to administrative prisons and fines. “This episode formed the basis of the case of the Aarhus Convention on the persecution of environmental activists in Belarus,” notes Novikova.

In autumn 2021, at the meeting of the parties to the Aarhus Convention, recommendations that Belarus has not implemented were considered. They concerned violations during the construction of the Belarusian nuclear power plant, the Neman hydroelectric plant, the persecution of anti-nuclear activists and others. They also discussed the August 2021 liquidation of Ecodom, one of 70 public environmental organizations shut down by Belarusian authorities.

“Belarus did not respond to the recommendations”

Belarus was recommended to restore Ecodom activities by December 1, 2021, otherwise the country was promised to be limited in rights and privileges, i.e. representatives of the Republic of Belarus were deprived of the opportunity to enter the presidium of the convention , occupy the positions of presidents, etc.

“In the spring of 2021, an inspection of our organization began, I was searched as part of a criminal case, then Ecodom was liquidated. The Aarhus Convention Compliance Committee analyzed the liquidation process and came to the conclusion that it was a persecution”, says Marina Dubina, representative of the organization Ecodom. “Belarus was recommended to restore the registration of our organization, or the country was deprived of privileges under the convention as of February 1, 2022. Belarus, in turn, announced that it would withdraw from the convention if the restrictions were not removed. withdrawn from it”.

Marina Dubina

According to Dubina, in the past, the public, organizations and activists, in the event of a violation of the Aarhus Convention, could file a complaint with the Compliance Committee. Although, admits the ecologist, most of the time the country has not reacted to his recommendations, has not changed its approach and has not stopped persecuting activists.

“Since 2020, the situation has changed catastrophically, not only for NGOs and civil society, but in general, but for all residents of Belarus. It goes without saying that we have environmental rights when basic human rights are not respected in Belarus. ” – concludes the ecologist.

“Don’t be surprised now that the park has been torn down”

Public ecologist Igor Pastukhov called the withdrawal from the Aarhus Convention another step into the Soviet past in his Facebook post. In his opinion, the convention allowed citizens to actively participate in the adoption of environmentally significant projects and decisions at the stage of their development, which “strengthened useful projects and blocked frankly harmful projects”. As an example, Pastukhov cites public opposition to the construction of the Brest battery factory, the rescue of centuries-old oak forests in Ostrovets, and others.

Among the consequences of withdrawing from the Aarhus Convention, Pastukhov calls the non-transparent use of natural resources, the non-obligation to publish environmental impact assessments and the prevention of citizens from becoming familiar with projects that may have an impact on the environment.

“Don’t be surprised now by the park suddenly felled, the swamp drained or the construction of a chemical factory in front of its entrance”, writes the ecologist.

Belarus losing subjectivity?

According to Tatyana Novikova, Belarus’ departure from the Aarhus Convention is another step towards the loss of subjectivity and the country’s global isolation.

“On the part of Belarus, this is just a transfer of negative phenomena from the de facto to the de jure plane,” notes Novikova. “But the country has a certain image at the UN level. It is one thing not to participate in some conventions, and another thing to withdraw from them. At the level of other treaties, UN bodies and organizations with Belarus will no longer be considered as Subject.”

The expert believes that, by withdrawing from such agreements, the country is losing confidence on the part of international organizations and other States. This will have political and economic implications.

“Let’s take the round wood, which Belarus loves to trade. There is an international FSC certification, which is issued to countries and entities that are engaged in sustainable forest management. Due to the fact that the country has withdrawn from the Aarhus Convention, it will become it is much more difficult to obtain this certificate”, – gives an example Tatiana Novikova.