Devoting Transparency in the Environment Field (TN0020)

Creation of an environment and sustainable development observatory that will be responsible for collecting, analyzing, publishing data and statistics and indicators about the environment and about sustainable development and responsible for regular publication to ensure follow up of the situation of the environment (diseases, quality of water, pollution). The adhesion of Tunisia to the Aarhus Convention related to access to information and public participation in decision-making and possibility of access to Justice in case of environmental matters.

20: Transparency in environment protection

Commitment Text: Creation of an environment and sustainable development observatory that will be responsible for collecting, analyzing, publishing data and statistics and indicators about the environment and about sustainable development and responsible for regular publication to ensure follow up of the situation of the environment (diseases, quality of water, pollution).

Responsible Institution(s): Ministry of Equipment, Spatial Planning and Sustainable Development, Secretariat of State in Charge of Sustainable Development

Commitment Text: The adhesion of Tunisia to the Aarhus Convention related to access to information and public participation in decision-making and possibility of access to Justice in case of environmental matters.

Responsible Institution(s): Ministry of Equipment, Territory Planning, and Sustainable Development (Secretariat of State in Charge of Sustainable Development)

Start Date: July 2014 EndDate: June 2016

Commitment aim

This commitment aimed to improve the accessibility of public environmental information by creating a dedicated observatory. The observatory was meant to publish environmental and sustainable development data, such as water quality, diseases, and pollution. The commitment also included a pledge that Tunisia join the Aarhus Convention.^{[Note 69: The Aarhus Convention is the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe’s Convention on Access to Information, Public Participation in Decision making, and Access to Justice in Environmental Matters. For more information, please see http://ec.europa.eu/environment/aarhus/. ]}

Status

Midterm: Limited

The Ministry of Environment and Sustainable Development drafted an Executive Order to create the Observatory. By the midterm review, the Ministry of Finance was planning to present the order to a Ministerial Board for final approval and adoption. Tunisia’s application process for joining the Aarhus Convention was pending a review by the Chief of Government. For more information, please see the 2014-2015 IRM Midterm Progress Report.^{[Note 70: OGP, Tunisia IRM Midterm Progress Report 2014-15, http://www.opengovpartnership.org/wp-content/uploads/2001/01/Tunisia2014-15_IRM%20Progress%20Report_Eng.pdf. ]}

End of term: Limited

According to the government’s self-assessment report, there was no further progress on the implementation of any part of the commitment. The observatory was not set up, and Tunisia has not signed the Aarhus Convention.

Did it open government?

Access to information: Did not change

Civic participation: Did not change

Historically, environmental information in Tunisia has been limited. This commitment could have opened up government information on the environment for public scrutiny in a major way. Limited progress on the creation of the observatory, and Tunisia not signing the Aarhus Convention, mean that there was no change in government practice related to access to information or civic participation in environmental matters.

Carried forward?

This commitment was not carried forward to the second action plan. However, given the importance of opening up environmental information to public, the IRM researcher recommends accelerating efforts to establish a functioning online observatory. The government should also take the necessary steps to sign the Aarhus Convention.