A/HRC/28/61 to have access to environmental information in the possession of the Government, and that provides for administrative and judicial review of alleged violations. The Czech Republic has adopted a law that allows individuals to request access to different types of information through multiple means, and that requires the Government to provide the information as quickly as possible and at the latest within 30 days of the request. Any decision to deny requested information is subject to administrative and judicial review. 33. Some States have undertaken innovative approaches to obtaining environmental information. For example, El Salvador operates an Environmental Observatory that systematically monitors potential environmental threats based on observations by a network of local observers. The Observatory provides early warning of natural disasters, including hurricanes and earthquakes, so that responses can minimize their effects on life and property. 34. Another good practice is the publication of annual reports on the state of the environment. Examples include reports by the Czech Republic that evaluate the state of the Czech environment based on 36 indicators, reports by South Africa focusing on enforcement activities, and reports by Spain that were recently redesigned to facilitate their viewing by electronic means, including on mobile devices. 35. Some of the most innovative practices in respect of environmental information concern education and awareness-raising. For example, Algeria includes environmental education as one of the key topics of its national plan of action for environment and sustainable development. It has designed and implemented educational tools for different levels of schools, as well as organizing seminars and workshops to train teachers. Ghana has instituted the AKOBEN programme to assess the performance of mining and manufacturing operations through a five-colour rating scheme that is easily understood by the public. Costa Rica’s Certificate of Sustainable Tourism programme assigns companies in the tourism industry a “sustainability level” rating, which provides information to consumers about the degree to which businesses comply with or exceed environmental standards. 36. Another good practice in this area is to raise awareness at the international level of the relationship between human rights and environmental protection. UNEP has taken several important initiatives in this respect. In addition to organizing the consultations with the Independent Expert described above, it has published reports on human rights and the environment, including a joint report with OHCHR to the Rio+20 UN Conference on Sustainable Development in 2012 and a compendium of resources on human rights and the environment in 2014. 37. At the regional level, in October 2013, the Asia-Europe Meeting convened more than 130 government officials, academics, and civil society representatives from 48 Asian and European countries to discuss the challenges presented by environmental harm to the protection of human rights. In September 2014, the ASEAN Intergovernmental Commission on Human Rights organized a workshop on human rights, environment and climate change in Yangon, Myanmar, to discuss the linkages between environmental sustainability and human rights in light of the inclusion of the right to a safe, clean and sustainable environment in the ASEAN Human Rights Declaration adopted in 2012. 38. Civil society organizations have also engaged in good practices in education. For example, in Uganda, the National Association of Professional Environmentalists conducts a Sustainability School Programme that builds the capacity of local communities to seek transparency and accountability of oil companies and Governments on environmental matters. 39. States have adopted a wide variety of online tools that provide good practices in facilitating access to environmental information. The Czech Republic has created the 8

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