HI HCR167

Hawaii's House and Senate engage, endorse, accept, and adopt the Aarhus Convention, a United Nations instrument focused on environmental decision-making and public participation.

The Aarhus Convention establishes six key components: access to environmental information, collection and dissemination of environmental data, public participation in specific activities decisions, public participation in environmental plans and policies, public participation in preparing environmental regulations, and access to justice.

The resolution supports achievement of the UN Paris Agreement (limiting global temperature increase to 1.5 degrees Celsius), the 2030 Sustainable Development Agenda, and the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.

Certified copies of the resolution shall be transmitted to the U.S. President, Congress members, Hawaii's congressional delegation, Governor, county mayors, UN Secretary General, UN Human Rights Commissioner, and Hawaii's Climate Change Mitigation and Adaptation Commission.

Hawaii commits to promoting transparency, accountability, and public awareness in environmental decision-making while reinforcing the roles of citizens, non-profit organizations, and government in environmental protection.