Our Foundation’s statement to the Assembly of States Parties
Netherlands director Katy Olivia van Tergouw delivers, live, our Foundation’s statement to the 20th Session of the Assembly of States Parties (ASP) to the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court, December 2021, during the General Debate, 8th December 2021.
The statement was written and submitted to the ASP by Stop Ecocide co-founder Jojo Mehta and can be viewed on the Assembly's official website here: https://asp.icc-cpi.int/iccdocs/asp_d...
An historic official side event
An historic event co-hosted by three of the world's most climate-vulnerable states, Vanuatu, Samoa and Bangladesh: the presentation of the legal definition of ecocide as a 5th international crime, in the context of the Assembly of States Parties to the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court.
In 2021, in response to political demand, an independent expert panel of top international criminal and environmental lawyers from around the world was convened by our charitable arm, the Stop Ecocide Foundation. The panel spent six months drafting a clear, concise definition of “ecocide” as a potential fifth crime under the Rome Statute. With the new definition already gaining significant political traction, co-chairs of the panel Philippe Sands QC and Dior Fall Sow are joined by key voices from countries at the forefront of the growing movement to recognise ecocide at the International Criminal Court.
Opening address:
Ms Elly Van Vliet, Honorary Consul of Vanuatu in the Netherlands, on behalf of Mr Dreli Solomon, Chargé d'Affaires, Embassy of Republic of Vanuatu, Brussels
Supporting statements:
Rt. Hon. Fiamē Naomi Mataʻafa, Prime Minister, Independent State of Samoa
Mr Saber Hossain Chowdhury MP, Chairman of the Parliamentary Standing Committee of the Ministry of the Environment, Forest and Climate Change, People's Republic of Bangladesh
Speakers from the Independent Expert Panel for the Legal Definition of Ecocide:
Professor Philippe Sands QC, UCL/Matrix Law. Co-chair, Independent Expert Panel for the Legal Definition of Ecocide
‘We have a responsibility to the next generation. What has motivated me to do this work, is the words of my own children in their twenties, telling me ……that the law is an instrumentality that can be useful, that can take forward future values. I’m absolutely convinced that this crime of ecocide will be adopted. The only issue is not whether, but when and in what form.’
Dior Fall Sow, UN jurist & former prosecutor. Co-chair, Independent Expert Panel for the Legal Definition of Ecocide
‘A country alone cannot fight against all the environmental harm attendant on climate change, so it is absolutely essential that all countries are brought together… so that we can all act in synergy to improve the condition of life on our planet.
Judge Tuiloma Neroni Slade, former ICC judge. Panelist, Independent Expert Panel for the Legal Definition of Ecocide.
‘The scientific evidence and authoritative assessments are out there in great abundance… and are overwhelming in the need for serious global responses. For small, vulnerable countries, there is little other option. Ultimately, it is a rules-based global order and the rule of law that provides the most effective protection.’
Syeda Rizwana Hasan, Bangladesh Environmental Lawyers Association. Panelist, Independent Expert Panel for the Legal Definition of Ecocide
‘It is my earnest hope that there will be enough political support so that the mandate of the ICC is broadened and the ICC is equipped with the tools to end the culture of impunity enjoyed by the environmental offenders and the perpetrators of what we can now define as “Ecocide”.’
Jojo Mehta, Chair, Stop Ecocide Foundation, Convenor of the Independent Expert Panel for the Legal Definition of Ecocide and co-host of the ICC official side event: Ecocide: a fifth crime defined
‘The interlinked threats of climate change and biodiversity loss share a key root cause in the mass damage and destruction of ecosystems: the crime of ecocide.’
Our Foundation’s statement to the 20th Session of the Assembly of States Parties (ASP) to the Rome Statute was written and submitted to the ASP by Stop Ecocide co-founder Jojo Mehta and can be viewed on the Assembly's official website here: https://asp.icc-cpi.int/iccdocs/asp_d... and watched HERE
With reflections from:
HRH Esmeralda of Belgium, journalist, author & activist.
‘We have to make the culprits accountable and make liable to arrest the corporations and individuals financing, enabling and causing ecosystems destruction and the suffering of the people who live in them… We should remember to “walk on Mother Earth with respect”.’
HRH El Hassan bin Talal of the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan, humanitarian, & peace & interfaith advocate
‘Ecocide would need to be a true ICC crime inline with the Rome Statute and in harnessing the power of international criminal law for the protection of our shared global government. None of the existing international law provisions protect the global environment as an end for itself.’
Watch full address HERE
Mindahi Bastida, indigenous elder & spokesperson (Mexico, Otomi-Toltec tradition)
‘When we give ecocide the same importance as genocide we recognise the importance for humankind of protecting Mother Nature - and this is a good step, it is fundamental… indigenous populations guard 80% of biodiversity and this is not a coincidence; it is a way of life, of being connected to sacred values. Water is not a “resource” for us, but a sacred element of life, like earth, air and fire.’
Moderated by:
Patrick Smith, Editor-in-Chief, The Africa Report
With diplomatic intervention from:
His Excellency William Roelants de Stappers, Ambassador of Belgium to The Hague.
‘Belgium is continuing internal discussion with a view to a possible criminalisation of the crime of ecocide in its penal code. This will be complemented by efforts at the international level to raise awareness among the international community on the need to fight the consequences of ecocide on our environment.’
Co-hosted by:
Organised by Stop Ecocide International and co-hosted by The Republic of Vanuatu, the Independent State of Samoa People's Republic of Bangladesh, in association with the Stop Ecocide Foundation, Institute for Environmental Security and The Hague Peace Projects
Thanks
With grateful thanks to the teams of Stop Ecocide International, Stop Ecocide Netherlands and to the entire wider international team and network of allied organisations who worked so hard to support.
Heartfelt gratitude to our public supporters and Earth Protectors who supported in person at events, by sharing posts and via financial donation. We could not have done this without every single one of you.
Thank you to The Ashden Trust for supporting this crucial work.
