The Access Initiative

The Access Initiative (TAI) seeks to ensure that people have a voice in the decisions that affect their environment and their communities.TAI partners promote transparent, participatory, and accountable governance as an essential foundation for sustainable development.To achieve this goal, partners form national coalitions, assessgovernment progress using a common methodology, raise public awareness, and set priorities for improvements in policy and practice.

TAI partners engage in the following strategies.

Build Civil Society Coalitions

TAI partners build coalitions of civil society groups that collaborate with

regional and global networks to research government policies and practices,

engage stakeholders, and disseminate information.

Assess Government Progress

TAI provides a complete toolkit that supports civil society groups to research and monitor their government’s performance in providing public access to information, participation, and justice in decision-making that affects the environment.

Set Priorities for Reform

TAI partners use their research findings to work with policymakers to set

priorities for improvement in public access at the national level. Supported

by an internationally recognized research methodology and connected to TAI

coalitions worldwide, partners gain increased access to national decisionmakers

as well as relevant international organizations, and are better able to influence

their country’s public participation policies.

Raise Public Awareness

TAI partners disseminate their research findings broadly to increase awareness

about the rights of the public, government initiatives to solicit public input,

and how to obtain environmental information. Activities have included hosting

public forums, developing websites, and publishing “citizens’ manuals”.