THE AARHUS CONVENTION AND THE RIGHT TO A FAVOURABLE ENVIRONMENT: INTERNATIONAL LEGAL FRAMEWORK AND IMPLEMENTATION IN THE NATIONAL ENVIRONMENT LEGISLATION OF UZBEKISTAN

Abstract

The article analyzes the international legal foundations of the human right to a favorable (healthy, safe and sustainable) environment and reveals the importance of the 1998 Aarhus Convention as a key tool of "environmental democracy". It is emphasized that its novelty lies not in the declaration of the abstract right to a "good environment", but in the consolidation of mandatory procedures - access to environmental information, public participation in making environmentally significant decisions and access to justice, ensuring transparency and accountability of state decisions. The implementation of the Aarhus Standards in the legal system of Uzbekistan after accession to the Convention in 2025 is considered, including the constitutional guarantees of Article 49 and the provisions of Law No ZRU-1036 "On Environmental Expertise, Environmental Impact Assessment and Strategic Environmental Assessment". It is substantiated that effective implementation requires not only normative consolidation, but also institutional, digital and procedural mechanisms to prevent formal participation. [2]