BackToday, the Council of Europe Commissioner for Human Rights, Ms Dunja Mijatović, published a comment on the interdependence between human rights and the environment.
In her comment Commissioner Mijatović summarises briefly the jurisprudence of the European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR) and of the European Committee of Social Rights on issues related to human rights and the environment, before mentioning a number of encouraging developments aimed at claiming these rights.
The Commissioner particularly insists on the critical role of, and risks faced by environmental human rights defenders and also mentions the role of Ombudsman institutions in this field.
In the recommendations section, the Commissioner calls on Council of Europe member states to adopt and implement ambitious policies to preserve the environment, to focus on education of the public, and to fulfil people’s rights to information, participation and redress. She also encourages member states to support the explicit recognition of the right to a healthy environment at the UN level.
Finally, she stresses that the Council of Europe has an important role to play in this field and flags in particular the execution of pending decisions by the ECtHR.
The full comment is available in English and French on the website of the Council of Europe Commissioner for Human Rights.
Source: Office of the Commissioner for Human Rights, Council of Europe
