Violence against environmental defenders – New UN major
report urges zero-tolerance
NEW YORK / GENEVA (21 October 2016) – Environmental human
rights defenders are critical to our future but they face unprecedented risks,
according to a new report* to the United Nations General Assembly by the UN
Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights defenders, Michel Forst.
“I am extremely worried and appalled by the growing
number of attacks and murders of environmental defenders, but also by the
continuous resistance of States to act in front of egregious human rights
violations,” Mr. Forst said.
“It is the responsibility of States and international
community to empower and protect these defenders. We should listen to those who
raise the alarm against environmental disasters, climate change and
irresponsible resource exploitation, not repress them,” he underscored.
The human rights expert warned that, although the
situation is particularly dramatic in Latin America and Asia where many
international investors, companies and local governments ignore the legitimate
concerns of the population, “attacks and threats happen everywhere in the
world.”
In the first major UN report on the subject, the UN
expert examines the root causes of attacks perpetrated against environmental
defenders and presents concrete recommendations to a range of actors including
business and investors for reversing the trend.
According to the study, a number of environmental
conflicts could be avoided by prior consultation and active participation of
local communities and environmental activists.
“Recently, the world has taken concrete steps to protect
our planet, now it is time to protect the heroes who, day by day, are at the
forefront of the fight for our future,” concluded the Special Rapporteur,
urging the international community to adopt a zero-tolerance approach to the
violence against environmental human rights defenders.
(*) Check the Special Rapporteur’s report:
http://www.ohchr.org/EN/Issues/SRHRDefenders/Pages/AnnualReports.aspx
ENDS
Mr. Michel Forst (France) was appointed by the Human
Rights Council as the UN Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights
defenders in 2014. Michel Forst has extensive experience on human rights issues
and particularly on the situation of human rights defenders. In particular, he
was the Director General of Amnesty International (France) and Secretary
General of the first World Summit on Human Rights Defenders in 1998. For more
information, log on to:
The Special Rapporteurs are part of what is known as the
Special Procedures of the Human Rights Council. Special Procedures, the largest
body of independent experts in the UN Human Rights, is the general name of the
independent fact-finding and monitoring mechanisms of the Human Rights Council
that address either specific country situations or thematic issues in all parts
of the world. Special Procedures’ experts work on a voluntary basis; they are
not UN staff and do not receive a salary for their work. They are independent
from any government or organization and serve in their individual capacity.
For more information and media requests please contact
Mr. Jamshid Gaziyev (+41 22 917 9183 / jgaziyev@ohchr.org) or write to
defenders@ohchr.org
You can access this press release at:
http://www.ohchr.org/EN/NewsEvents/Pages/DisplayNews.aspx?NewsID=20730&LangID=E
For media inquiries related to other UN independent
experts:
Xabier Celaya, UN Human Rights – Media Unit (+ 41 22 917
9383 / xcelaya@ohchr.org)
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