DUSHANBE, December 19, 2014, Asia-Plus – A two-day training course for Aarhus Centers and other non-governmental organizations on raising awareness of disaster risk reduction took place at the OSCE Office in Tajikistan on December 16-17.

According to the OSCE office, the training course was delivered by national and international experts working in this field.

“It is not enough to simply invest in infrastructure to reduce the risk of natural disasters,” said Paul Hickey, Environmental Officer at the OSCE Office in Tajikistan.  “We must encourage communities to make preventing and reducing the risk of natural disasters an integral part of their lives.  The Aarhus Centers, with their proven ability to raise awareness on environmental issues, provide an ideal platform for building the knowledge of local communities in disaster risk reduction.”

This training course is part of a project to strengthen the capacities of Aarhus Centers in disaster risk reduction to enhance awareness among local communities. The project is being jointly implemented by the OSCE, the UN Development Programme (UNDP) and the Regional Environmental Centre in seven countries of South-east Europe, the South Caucasus and Central Asia.

Two studies on the capacities of Aarhus Centers and the educational needs with regard to disaster risk within Tajikistan were conducted.  They will be followed by the drafting of Action Plans for specific Aarhus Centers on raising awareness about disaster risk reduction.

The Aarhus Convention is a key UN document on access to environmental information, public participation in decision-making and access to justice in environmental matters.  Aarhus Centers serve as a link between the Government and civil society, provide a platform for coalition-building and partnership among NGOs in addressing environmental issues, and promote the Aarhus Convention principles at national and local levels.