The College of Law at the University of Baghdad organized a scientific seminar on Tuesday, March 18, 2025, titled “Modern Mechanisms for Environmental Protection – The Freedom of Environmental Information Exchange,” delivered by Professor Dr. Mahmoud Khalil Jafar. This event is part of academic efforts to enhance environmental awareness and discuss modern ways of protecting the environment.
The seminar aimed to highlight new mechanisms for environmental protection, moving beyond traditional methods, and to explore the possibility of public participation in accessing environmental information and their role in the environmental decision-making process. The seminar also addressed the effectiveness of modern mechanisms in protecting the environment and promoting transparency in this field.
The seminar consisted of two main topics:
1. The concept of access to environmental information, the mechanisms for organizing it, and cases of refusal or restriction of access to this information.
2. International documents that address the right to access environmental information, with a focus on Principle 19 of the 1972 Stockholm Declaration and the 1998 Aarhus Convention, as well as a study of the elements of this right and its importance in environmental protection.
At the end of the seminar, several important recommendations were made, the most notable of which were:
1. The possibility of Iraq benefiting from the Aarhus Convention by forming partnerships with member countries to enhance environmental protection.
2. Cooperation with specialized environmental organizations and agencies to support environmental protection efforts in Iraq, which faces multiple environmental challenges.
The seminar reflected the College of Law’s commitment to enhancing environmental awareness and encouraging dialogue on the best ways to address environmental challenges in line with international standards.
