The first European Forum on Environmental Human Rights Defenders was held at the Council of Europe on Wednesday 3 and Thursday 4 June.
Organised in partnership with the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR), the European Union Agency for Fundamental Rights (FRA) and other partners involved in the framework of the international convention on access to information, public participation in decision-making and access to justice in environmental matters (Aarhus Convention), the Forum brought together almost 400 participants.
It made it possible to establish a European platform enabling environmental rights defenders, institutional stakeholders and policymakers to exchange experiences, identify gaps and strengthen cooperation mechanisms in Europe.
Participants also discussed the means to be put in place to ensure that this initiative becomes a recurring event held every two years in different European cities.
After a first day held in camera – to ensure the safety of certain participants – on 3 June, the Forum continued the following day around the following themes: promoting civic space and the role of environmental defenders in environmental governance; the threats and risks faced by defenders (notably SLAPPs); States’ obligation to protect a clean, healthy and sustainable environment; strengthening mechanisms for protecting environmental standards in Europe; and identifying follow-up measures and recommendations for future editions of the Forum.
Link to the Forum’s website: https://aeur.eu/f/m7w (Original version in French by Véronique Leblanc)