JAKARTA DECLARATION FOR STRENGTHENING THE THE RIGHT TO ENVIRONMENTAL INFORMATION FOR PEOPLE AND THE ENVIRONMENT

The Jakarta Declaration, issued by representatives from several Asian nations, argues that access to environmental information is critical for public health and pollution control. It calls for the operationalization of Freedom of Information (FOI) laws, the adoption of proactive disclosure requirements for air and water quality, and the creation of mandatory pollutant release and transfer registers. The document emphasizes that environmental data, including emissions from private and state-owned corporations, should not be restricted by claims of commercial confidentiality when it relates to public health.

• While Freedom of Information (FOI) laws facilitate access to environmental data, there is a critical need for the proactive release of information regarding air and water quality and pollutants without requiring a formal request, and in formats the public can easily understand.
• Governments in Asia should improve FOI laws to meet international standards by protecting officials from lawsuits for releasing information, penalizing intentional breaches of the law, reforming broad exemptions to prioritize public interest, and removing requirements for requesters to provide a reason for their request.
• The region should look to the Aarhus Convention, the Latin American and Caribbean (LAC) regional process, and the UNEP Bali Guidelines as models for raising national legislation standards on access to information, public participation, and justice in environmental matters.
• Information regarding pollutant discharges from private corporations and state-owned enterprises must be provided to governments and released to the public; such data should not be withheld under claims of commercial confidentiality or trade secrets because it directly impacts public health and the environment.
• A priority for the Asian region is the enactment of legislative frameworks that mandate the proactive release of information on pollutant discharge, storage, and transfer, specifically through the creation of pollutant release transfer registers.

APA

World Resources Institute (2013). JAKARTA DECLARATION FOR STRENGTHENING THE THE RIGHT TO ENVIRONMENTAL INFORMATION FOR PEOPLE AND THE ENVIRONMENT. https://pdf.wri.org/jakarta_declaration_for_strengthening_right_to_environmental_information.pdf

Chicago

World Resources Institute. JAKARTA DECLARATION FOR STRENGTHENING THE THE RIGHT TO ENVIRONMENTAL INFORMATION FOR PEOPLE AND THE ENVIRONMENT. 2013. https://pdf.wri.org/jakarta_declaration_for_strengthening_right_to_environmental_information.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite press release |author=World Resources Institute |title=JAKARTA DECLARATION FOR STRENGTHENING THE THE RIGHT TO ENVIRONMENTAL INFORMATION FOR PEOPLE AND THE ENVIRONMENT |date=1 May 2013 |url=https://pdf.wri.org/jakarta_declaration_for_strengthening_right_to_environmental_information.pdf |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@misc{worldresourcesinstitute2013jakarta, author = {{World Resources Institute}}, title = {{JAKARTA DECLARATION FOR STRENGTHENING THE THE RIGHT TO ENVIRONMENTAL INFORMATION FOR PEOPLE AND THE ENVIRONMENT}}, publisher = {World Resources Institute}, year = {2013}, month = may, url = {https://pdf.wri.org/jakarta_declaration_for_strengthening_right_to_environmental_information.pdf}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }