Introduction
Environmental management in Uganda was first accord- and formalized internationally in 1992 under Principle
ed the attention it deserves with the creation of the Min- 10 of the Rio Declaration on Environment and Develop-
istry of Environment Protection in 1986. Following this, ment which in part states:
Uganda realized the need to put in place systems and
structures to ensure the management of environmental “Environmental issues are best handled with the partici-
information. The underlying assumption was that good pation of all concerned citizens […]. At the national level,
information would lead to better decisions and manage- each individual shall have appropriate access to informa-
ment practices which would eventually be positively re- tion concerning the environment […] and the opportunity
flected by an enhanced environment and improved qual- to participate in decision making processes […] Effective
ity of life of the people. access to judicial and administrative proceedings […]
shall be provided.” (UNEP 1992).
The management of environment information involves
a number of processes and outputs. These include the A number of countries have followed up on this commit-
collection, organisation, analysis and communication of ment and signed and ratified the Convention on Access
data, statistics and other qualitative material. The pro- to Information, Public Participation in Decision Making
duction of environmental information entails the col- and Access to Justice in Environmental Matters for the
lection and analysis of raw data and their interpretation European Countries in Aarhus, Denmark on 25 June
into forms that can be used for decision making (NEMA 1998 (UNECE 1998).
1996). Some of the outputs include assessments and
studies and the production of state of the environment re- At the national level, article 41 of Uganda’s national Con-
ports, environmental outlook reports, statistical compen- stitution (1995) grants every citizen the right to access in-
dia, data books, environmental atlases and policy state- formation in the possession of the state or its agencies.
ments by both public and private sector organizations. This is further enshrined in the Access to Information Act
(2005) which in article 3 reiterates that public access to
Decision makers use this information to assess the condi- information is a matter of good governance. The National
tion and trends in the environment, to determine and ad- Environment Act Cap 153 in articles 85–87 provides for ac-
just policy directions and to invest resources for the man- cess, management and regular dissemination of environ-
agement of the environment. Environmental information mental information. These principles and commitments
management is therefore essential for decision makers confirm that access to environmental information, effec-
to analyse cause and effect, develop strategies for action, tive participation in environmental decision making and
manage natural resources, prevent and control pollution, access to justice provide critical opportunities to the public
and evaluate progress towards national, regional and local to influence both their living conditions and the broader
environmental goals and targets (NEMA 1996). environment. Access to environmental information is
therefore not only a theoretical achievement or philosophi-
The critical link between environmental information cal entitlement, but a practical vehicle for realizing sus-
management and good decision making was recognized tainable development (Kiss and Ewing, undated).
The Uganda Case Study 5
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