21/10/2021 European Conference of Presidents of Parliament
“As extreme weather events are felt across the globe, we must call for greater ambition and make environmental diplomacy a key to overcoming these challenges,” said the Speaker of the Georgian Parliament Kakha Kuchava, addressing the European Conference of Presidents of Parliament.
The recent history of environmental negotiations, he said, “reflects the reality that nations must work together to face global dangers, accepting shared responsibility for stewardship of the planet for today’s generation and those that follow”. Building on these key pillars, there needs to be "action right now" to address environmental rights at national level, he added, in order to create immediate legal consequences.
“We should never forget the people behind our policies,” Mr Kuchava added. “We must be just and socially balanced. This means taking into consideration that not all countries have the same starting point. Protecting our planet is the only choice. And the only way to protect our families, our communities, our humanity. So we remain committed to ensuring sustainable development, protecting civil and social rights, and implementing the Sustainable Development Goals,” he concluded.
The Speaker of the Parliament of Finland, Anu Vehviläinen, stressed that there is “a self-evident link between climate change and respecting human rights”. The Council of Europe is one of the most relevant bodies for raising these questions, she underlined, and thanked President Daems for his personal commitment to “defining environmental rights as human rights”.
Parliamentarians, Mrs Vehviläinen added, “have two keys in their hands" for taking specific measures to safeguard living conditions and human rights. Namely their role as law-makers and their power to decide on national budgets. Parliaments, she underlined, “need to guarantee everyone’s right to have an influence on decisions that concern their own living environment”, while their power to decide on budgets “is a powerful tool for creating cleaner and greener societies”.
The role of parliaments in promoting environmental and human rights is crucial, she said. “It is our responsibility to make decisions, that are both fair and take into account future generations. Luckily, we have many tools at our disposal. We just need to act,” Mrs Vehviläinen concluded.
“PACE is working on the proposal for a new protocol to the European Convention on Human Rights. As members of national parliaments, the feasibility of this proposal lies in your hands," said Spyros Papadatos, a member of the Council of Europe's Advisory Council on Youth. "Therefore, as young people in Europe, we cannot stress enough the importance of this proposal being approved, as it will not only inspire national governments to take sufficient actions to protect lives, but also signal to the international community that Europe is taking this issue seriously."
“We recommend that you introduce the principle of sustainability within your internal working structures and practices. The Youth Department of the Council of Europe has created a sustainability checklist to ensure we practice what we preach. That way we can make sure we are also environmentally conscious in our working methods,” he added.
“The views of young people should not only be taken into consideration when it comes to future plans, but also for today's actions. Therefore, we strongly advise you to create an empowering structure, similar to the CoE's co-managed structure, to consult young people in local or national contexts on any decision you take concerning the environment and dealing with the climate crisis. We are not just the COVID-19 pandemic generation, and our place in history should not be defined by that alone. More importantly, we are the climate generation - and our generation is demanding political action now," he concluded.