Description: In recognition of FOIAnet's efforts to organize the 4th Annual Right to Know Day (28 September 2006), the UNECE Aarhus Convention secretariat will feature information on your Network and Freedom of Information Acts globally in the Aarhus Clearinghouse for Environmental Democracy.

The Aarhus Clearinghouse for Environmental Democracy provides a forum for the collection, dissemination and exchange of information on laws, policies and good practices relevant to the rights of public access to information, public participation in environmental decision-making and public access to justice on environmental issues. Since it's launch in July 2004, the Aarhus Clearinghouse has attracted 700,000 visits. Several thousand visitors now regularly use the Clearinghouse to learn about good practices in the emerging field of environmental democracy.

In addition to information related to the Convention on Access to Information, Public Participation in Decision-making and Access to Justice in Environmental Matters (Aarhus Convention), the Aarhus Clearinghouse also contains other information relevant to the implementation of principle 10 of the Rio Declaration on Environment and Development, adopted at the Earth Summit in 1992. Among the 39 Parties to the Aarhus Convention, national FOIAs play a significant role in protecting and extending the public's right to access information.

On 31 August 2006, the FOIAnet: Freedom of Information Advocates Network and Overview of FOIA Countries Worldwide will be featured on the home page of the Aarhus Clearinghouse: http://aarhusclearinghouse.unece.org.

A brief entry on FOIAnet and the Overview of FOIA Countries will also be highlighted in the Resource Directory of the Clearinghouse: http://aarhusclearinghouse.unece.org/resources.cfm