International charitable organization "Environment-People-Law" (EPL), having solid experience using litigation as an instrument to protect and environmental rights, acts as a coordinator of the platform.

 

The initiative aims to increase the impact of strategic litigation to change the legal system of Ukraine in the field of environmental protection. Thus, the platform activities envision a number of measures to achieve this goal, among which are: improving quality of legal representation of strategic cases, developing litigation strategies and generalizing case results, developing and implementing communication strategies to increase public awareness of the strategic litigation mechanism and turning it into an effective advocacy tool.

 

Within a short period of time of its operation, the platform has brought together 22 civil society activists, developed its operational bylaws, agreed upon criteria for selection of strategic cases and established internal communication systems between platform members.

 

It has also selected its first strategic case, which deals with provisions of the Aarhus Convention on Access to Information, Public Participation in Decision-making and Access to Justice in Environmental Matters, which was ratified by Ukraine in 1999. The selected case appeals confidentiality imposed on agreement "On the distribution of hydrocarbons extracted within the Yuzivska field between the State and "Shell Exploration and Production Ukraine Investments (IV) B.V" and "NADRA YUZIVSKA LTD."