The Ombudsperson, Mr. Hilmi Jashari, is participating in the IV International Conference on Environment and Human Rights “Public Participation and Environmental Matters” which is taking place in Ljubljana- Slovenia.

The Conference, which is being held under the patronage of the President of the Republic of Slovenia, aims to identify countries’ commitment as per the respect the right to live in a healthy environment, with particular emphasis on public participation in drafting and adopting of environmental regulations as well as finding out to which degree they comply with the principle of transparency, accuracy, and accessibility.

The Ombudsmen from Bosnia and Hercegovina, Croatia, Montenegro, Kosovo, Macedonia, Slovenia and Serbia assembled at this Conference, have signed a Declaration on Cooperation of Ombudsmen in the Areas of Environment and Human Rights, recognizing that the right to a healthy environment is a fundamental human right and that States should strive to adopt systemic measures to exercise them. On the other hand, taking in consideration the role of the Ombudsmen to receive and deal with complaints concerning environmental issues, which impact not solely respective State but neighboring States and even further to global context, as well as noting that public participation in environmental processes is below the desired level, signed unanimously establishment of Network of Ombudsmen for the Environment and Human Rights.

The purpose of this Network will be close cooperation, exchange of knowledge, experiences, and practices, to further develop forms to which Ombudsmen’s response to environmental challenges, in fulfillment of mission entrusted.