The Republic of Armenia has signed the UNECE Convention on Access to Information, Public Participation in Decision-Making and Access to Justice in Environmental Matters (Aarhus Convention) in June 1998 and ratified it in May 2001. The Convention entered into force in October 2001.

# 1 area of temporary shelters in Vanadzor has been sold and 40 homeless family members are in danger of being forced out of their home. The cases of many of them are currently being tried in Court. According to HCA-Vanadzor lawyer Haykuhi Harutyunyan, the sale was carried out illegally.

On May 15, 2009 Aghvan Hovsepyan, RA Prosecutor General , and Eduardo Flores Trexo, the deputy head of ”Casals and Associates” Inc. visited the anticorruption center of Lori regio/ HCA Vanadzor.

On March 4, 2009, the US Ambassador to Armenia Mary Yovanovich and the contractor of “Casals and Associates” Inc. Fransois Vezina visited the Anti-corruption Center of Lori region (HCA Vanadzor). The goal of the visit was to get familiar with the activity of the center that was launched 4 months ago.

STATEMENT
We, the undersigned civil society representatives of the Republic of Armenia (RA) express our deep concern and indignation regarding the de-national nature of recent developments and illegal processes related to the environment in Armenia, in particular the decision on increasing water release from Lake Sevan up to the mark of 360 million cubic meters (which is twice as much as it was in previous years), adopted by the RA National Assembly on August 14 2008 upon the initiative of the RA Government.

The Artsakh Park in Vanadzor symbolized the liberation and independence of Artsakh for the city’s residents. Soon, it will be turned into an entertainment space with a large film theater.

Vanadzor Dendropark, (arboretum) a huge green area with unique trees has become private property after the government granted a 57 year management contract to a Vanadzor-based businessman’s company.

Large scale construction works have started in the center of Vanadzor, Lori province, when a 6 meter deep pit was dug in the center of town, where green area stood just a week ago.

The standoff between two officials in Vanadzor has been in the center of public attention for several months but now it is the court to deicide whose arguments are more persuasive.

The copper mine project brought to the Lori region by the Armenian Copper Program (ACP) has raised the discontent of area residents who believe that the exploitation of the mine holds nothing good for them.

On August 24, the schoolchildren of 78 families from Leningradyan 5th temporary dwelling area received trousers, underwear and socks. The support was provided by the Dutch Foundation Stichting Armenhulp Armenie with financial assistance from Theo Veeneman and Adri Witteveen.

On July 12, 2007, examining the application of Arthur Sakunts and others on disputing how constitutional the second part of article 5 of RA law “On Local Referendum” was, the Constitutional court decided to take the application for examination and prepare a case recognizing RA National Assembly as a responding side.