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Safeguarding human rights for future generations

Doc. 15999: compendium of written amendments | Doc. 15999 | 27/06/2024 | Final version

Compendium index

Amendment 1 Amendment 2 Amendment 3 Amendment 4

Caption: AdoptedRejectedWithdrawnNo electronic votes

ADraft Resolution

1The Parliamentary Assembly emphasises that a sustainable world not only means meeting the needs of the present generation: it must also guarantee that future generations can likewise meet their needs. This is nothing less than respecting intergenerational equity and is all the more an absolute imperative in the face of the climate change challenge of today.

27 June 2024

Tabled by Ms Saskia KLUIT, Mr Simon MOUTQUIN, Ms Gala VELDHOEN, Mr Constantinos EFSTATHIOU, Mr Randolph DE BATTISTA, Ms Thórhildur Sunna ÆVARSDÓTTIR, Ms Sibel ARSLAN, Mr Georgios STAMATIS, Mr Gergely ARATÓ, Ms Heike ENGELHARDT

In the draft resolution, after paragraph 1, insert the following paragraph:

"Protecting the planet for future generations also means repairing the environmental damage already caused."

Explanatory note

For this amendment it is worth noting that the Court, in KlimaSeniorinnen, did not impose Switzerland any specific measures to comply with the Judgment, given the "complex nature of climate change". This further limit significance and impact of the Court’s case-law as stressed in the memorandum.

2The Assembly stresses moreover that while the climate crisis has rightly been identified as the biggest existential emergency facing humankind, we must not overlook other significant risks to the rights of future generations, such as growing socio-economic inequalities, public health emergencies, wars and conflicts, and rapid technological advances.

27 June 2024

Tabled by the Committee on Legal Affairs and Human Rights

In the draft resolution, after paragraph 2, insert the following paragraph:

"Recalling its previous work on artificial intelligence, as set out in Opinion 303 (2024), the Assembly notes that the unprecedented pace of technological progress will likely become one of the key factors impacting the lives of future generations. To this end, it welcomes the adoption of the Council of Europe Framework Convention on Artificial Intelligence, Human Rights, Democracy and the Rule of Law. The Assembly reiterates its readiness to contribute to the preparation of additional binding and non-binding instruments that will ensure that technological advancement is accompanied by respect for human rights, democracy and the rule of law."

3The Assembly notes that numerous constitutional texts now contain references to future generations and that the notions of future generations and intergenerational equity are ever more frequently used before national and international courts in environmental litigation.
4The Assembly welcomes the fact that the Final Declaration of the Reykjavik Summit has recognised the scale of the task ahead and that the Heads of State and Government of Council of Europe member States committed therein to meeting the current and future challenges, raising up to the expectations of future generations and making the environment and the intergenerational solidarity a visible priority for the Organisation.

27 June 2024

Tabled by the Committee on Legal Affairs and Human Rights

In the draft resolution, after paragraph 4, insert the following paragraph:

"The Assembly notes with grave concern that human activity is threatening the extinction of one million species of plants and animals, leading to an irreversible loss of biodiversity and collapse of the ecosystem. To this end, the Assembly welcomes the adoption by the Standing Committee of the Council of Europe’s Convention on the Conservation of European Wildlife and Natural Habitats (ETS No. 104, “Bern Convention”) of its Strategic Plan for the period to 2030, which sets out goals for halting the declines in biodiversity, recovering wildlife and habitats, improving the lives of people and contributing to the health of the planet. The Assembly recalls that States are under a continuous international legal obligation to prevent activities on their territory causing significant harm or damage to the environment of another State or areas beyond national control."

5In the light of these considerations, the Assembly invites Council of Europe member States to seize and build upon this strategic moment in the Organisation’s life, and to strongly promote both at national level and in international forums:
5.1their political will to uphold, protect and develop the civil, political, economic, social and cultural rights – both at the individual and the collective level – of our future generations, based on the fundamental principle of equality and non-discrimination found in human rights law;
5.2their political will to advance rapidly and with determination on the existing environmental standards and practices, from a less anthropocentric perspective and taking into account recent legal developments in environmental matters, in particular the case law of the European Court of Human Rights in climate cases.

27 June 2024

Tabled by the Committee on Legal Affairs and Human Rights

In the draft resolution, after paragraph 5.2, insert the following paragraph:

"the swift signature and ratification of the Council of Europe Framework Convention on Artificial Intelligence, Human Rights, Democracy and the Rule of Law, encouraging them to maximise the potential of recognising the full applicability of the principles and obligations set forth therein (Chapters II to VI) to activities of private actors."