26/04/2023 Session
PACE has urged Council of Europe member states to show their support for the authorities of Türkiye and Syria following the earthquakes that recently struck both countries, and called more widely for greater preparedness for “natural” disasters and extreme events.
Unanimously approving a resolution based on a report by Simon Moutquin (Belgium, SOC), the Assembly said that certain natural disasters were becoming more frequent and their consequences more devastating as a result of climate change, with “serious repercussions on the well-being of humanity and the global economy”.
The parliamentarians called on states to put in place measures to adapt to climate change and offset the impact of the climate crisis, and to put the right to a safe, clean, healthy and sustainable environment at the top of the agenda.
It again urged additional protocols to both the European Convention on Human Rights and the European Social Charter enshrining such a right, and recalled the important role of the EUR-OPA Major Hazards Agreement.
As regards disaster management, the Assembly urged better allocation of funds, more resilient institutions, stronger local authorities, and renewed efforts to stamp out corruption and bad governance.