ENVIRONMENTAL RIGHTS
Environmental rights have grown more rapidly than any other human right and are enshrined in over 100 constitutions. Tragically, whilst the right to a healthy environment is increasingly recognized, this right is increasingly violated. Irresponsible development projects and agri-businesses destroy our prospects of a safe, clean and healthy environment, as those fighting for these rights are killed at an average rate of four per week. UN Environment Programme supports the upholding of environmental rights through The Environmental Rights Initiative; which is a coalition of state and non-state actors united to promote, protect, and respect environmental rights.
Indigenous rights: a solution
At a recently held Global Landscapes Forum in July 2019, in Bonn, Germany, respecting rights and indigenous peoples were underlined as key to sustainably managing landscapes. Over 600 attendees from 150 countries discussed incorporating and strengthening indigenous peoples as stewards of the environment, through the lenses of finance, land tenure, journalism, research, activism, traditions and much more. UN Environment Programme supported and amplified the need to include Indigenous peoples and address rights in environmental governance. Read more...
Prosecutors are key to progressing environmental law
In July 2019,at the United Nations Headquarters, in Nairobi, Kenya, an all-women panel discussed how judicial actors such as prosecutors can contribute to reducing the gap between the proliferation of environmental laws and their implementation. The panelists all agreed that many of the lawyers and judges currently practicing today did not have the opportunity or possibility to study or train in environmental law—in most cases, it simply did not exist as an academic discipline. Environmental law does not need to be conservative nor lag behind the reality it aims to govern. Environmental law has, is and can progress effectively. Read more...
Defending the defenders: tropical forests in the front line
UN Environment Programme’s Interfaith Rainforest Initiative, an international, multi-faith alliance working to bring moral urgency and faith-based leadership to global efforts - to protect tropical forests and the rights of indigenous peoples, hosted an event in New York on 23 April 2019 entitled Forest Defenders: New Threats and New Responses. The meeting compiled lessons from existing initiatives about best practices in defending the defenders of rain-forests and explored where religious leaders and faith communities can add value to this effort. Read more...
South Africa: Activists in mining areas harassed
Some community activists in mining areas in South Africa are facing harassment, intimidation, and violence. The attacks and harassment have created an atmosphere of fear for community members who are raising concerns about damage to their livelihoods from the serious environmental and health risks of mining and coal-fired power plants. A joint report and a video released by the Centre for Environmental Rights, GroundWork, Earthjustice, and Human Rights Watch document violence, damage to property, and intimidation of the community activists. There are also reports of arbitrary arrests for their activities in highlighting the negative impacts of mining projects on their communities. Read more...
Youths at the forefront in recognizing the relationship between environment and human rights
“More than 1.5 million children under the age of five lose their lives each year as a result of avoidable environmental impacts,” says a 2018 report by the UN Special Rapporteur on Human Rights and the Environment. Worried about climate change, youth are using environmental rights to demand more action to address ecological crises around the world. In May 2019, 21 youth plaintiffs, all between 11 and 23 years old, filed a lawsuit against the United States government asserting that their rights to life, liberty, and property have been violated through the government’s affirmative actions that cause climate change. Read more...
TV’s first-ever environmental thriller “Aruanas” pleads with us to take care of the Amazon Rainforest
Globo and Maria Farinha Films organised pre-screenings in London and New York in June 2019, with a media roundtable featuring, among others, the series writer and director, Taís Araújo, who stars in the production. The first-ever production of its kind, Aruanas is a creative attempt to reach millions of consumers of entertainment content who are currently disengaged from the crisis facing the Amazon and many other ecologically vulnerable parts of our planet. The series supports the Environment Rights Initiative, led by UN Environment Programme, which seeks to promote respect for environmental rights and greater protections for environmental defenders. Read more...
