The Partnership for Principle 10 seeks to improve national public participation systems to ensure access to information, public participation, and justice in decision-making that affects the environment. Improved public access to information, participation, and justice in decision-making makes decisions more fair, legitimate, and sustainable. At the national level, a working public participation system enables individuals and groups to make informed choices and integrate social and environmental objectives in decisions on economic policies and specific development activities. As such, a public participation system is an essential mechanism for sustainable development.

National systems for public participation have many common elements, including policies, supporting legislation, institutional infrastructure, methods of dissemination, and timing of participation. Diverse national systems of public participation share areas of achievement as well as weaknesses and gaps. Recent assessments conducted by The Access Initiative of national public participation systems in nine countries, including Chile, Hungary, India, Indonesia, Mexico, South Africa, Thailand, Uganda, and the United States, provide a comprehensive diagnostic evaluation of the strengths in these countries as well as specific needs for improvement in both policy and practice.

The Partnership for Principle 10 will work to address these implementation gaps and strengthen public access in areas identified as weaknesses. Based on independent assessments of national public participation systems, the Partnership will provide a vehicle for stakeholders to work together to strengthen areas of weakness.

The Partnership for Principle 10 is built around a set of common commitments, to which all partners agree. These common commitments serve as a statement of the Partnership's values and principles. The common commitments set the parameters for the scope of work of the Partnership. All partners, by joining the Partnership for Principle 10, commit to support the accelerated implementation of Principle 10 in their country and in their own practices. They also:
* Recognize that national public participation systems have common elements, and should be regularly and independently assessed by civil society organizations using a common framework of indicators-such as those developed by The Access Initiative-to identify strengths and weaknesses in implementation.
* Commit to collaborate across sectoral boundaries to identify implementation gaps, prioritize needed actions, and implement programs to strengthen capacity and improve performance.
* Commit to promote implementation of Principle 10 internationally through engagement with regional and international organizations, international trade agreements, and financial institutions, as appropriate.

Governments:
Government of Chile
Government of Hungary
Government of Italy - Ministry of Environment and Territories
Government of Mexico
Government of Sweden
Government of Uganda
Government of United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland - United Kingdom

Major Groups:
World Resources Institute (WRI) (United States of America)
Corporaci¢n Participa (Chile)
Fundaci¢n TERRAM (Chile)
RIDES (Chile)
Environmental Management & Law Assoc (Hungary)
Centro Mexicano de Derecho Ambiental CEMDA (Mexico)
Comunicaci¢n y Educaci¢n Ambiental (Mexico)
Cultura Ecol¢gica (Mexico)
Presencia Cuidadana (Mexico)
Thailand Environment Institute (Thailand)
Advocates Coalition for Dev & Envt (Uganda)
Uganda Wildlife Society (Uganda)
Citizens Policy Center (United States of America)
Silicon Valley Toxics Coalition (United States of America)

UN System:
United Nations Environmental Programme (UNEP) (Kenya)
United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) (United States of America)
World Bank Group (United States of America)

Other intergovernmental organizations:
European Commission (Belgium)
IUCN-The World Conservation Union (Switzerland)
Multilateral Development Banks ()