The world is facing an ecological crisis. Human activities have caused extensive damage to the environment, leading to climate change, biodiversity loss, and other forms of environmental degradation. For years, the science has been clear; to protect the planet we must halt our greenhouse gas emissions, stop the mass destruction of ecosystems, and redefine a more respectful, loving relationship with our planet.
And yet the urgency and solutions needed to address the ongoing biodiversity and climate crises are nowhere in sight. World leaders are failing to act. Many young people are growing frustrated about this inaction and anxious about the lack of accountability when our decision-makers refuse to implement necessary, systemic changes.
In this context, the concept of ecocide law has emerged as a potential solution. Youth for Ecocide Law is a global network of young people committed to promoting and advocating for ecocide law. It is part of the Stop Ecocide movement to make ecocide an international crime at the International Criminal Court, and then a domestic crime for countries around the globe.
As part of our efforts to raise awareness, we are organizing this Earth Day webinar on April 22nd, 2023. The webinar will be a venue for listeners around the globe to learn about ecocide law, our growing youth movement, and how the push to criminalize ecocide could support many other youth-driven environmental justice campaigns. We will be engaging with various perspectives on ecocides around the globe and potential solutions.
Speakers:
Dalia Fernanda Márquez Añez
Dalia Fernanda Márquez Añez is a lawyer from Venezuela passionate about defending Human Rights, promoting gender equality, and peacebuilding. Dalia is an environmentalist, a university professor and founder of the NGO “Juventud Unida en Acción”, an institution which is developing education and training programs to empower young people as agents of change in their community, empower women, promote the culture of peacebuilding, and developed social programs in vulnerable communities within the framework of the 2030 agenda.
Debbie Buyaki
Debbie Buyaki is a member of the Y4EL Core Mobilizing Team, leading work on strategy and policy for 2023. She is currently based in Nairobi, Kenya. Debbie is a tree planter and has so far planted trees in six of the seven continents. Go green! 🌳
“Ecocide derives its roots from a green and Latin word meaning 'to kill one's home', and when I think of this, I think of my trees and the lives they support. The birds, the monkeys, the giraffes and elephants that feed from them, all the biodiversity and so on. Cutting down trees denies all these dependents creates a home - ecocide.”
Maïtée Labrecque-Saganash
Maïtée Labrecque-Saganash is a Cree activist and poet. She is a member of the Eeyou Nation in Northern Québec, Canada, and she has been an activist for many years fighting for Indigenous rights, self-determination and social justice.
In 2022, Maïtée decided to enter politics, running for the nomination for Québec Solidaire (QS) in the Ungava riding. She has been called one of the most influential young women in contemporary Quebec.
Yen Parico
A firm believer in the significant influence of the youth in creating a better future for the planet, Yen Parico is advancing youth empowerment as the Director of CoalitionWILD—a for-youth by-youth global organization creating lasting youth leadership for the planet through capacity development training, mentorship, and storytelling.
Prior to joining CoalitionWILD, she was a consultant at the International Rice Research Institute (IRRI) where she assisted in increasing the capacity of farmers to use ICTs and a Small Island Developing States Research and Communications Intern at the United Nations Development Program (UNDP). Her experiences and learnings in the Philippines shaped Yen’s deep-rooted foundation as a sustainable development advocate. Her career focus and passion have been to support small communities and underrepresented people in creating solutions to the challenges they are facing in their everyday lives.
Yen is driven to find ways for those groups who are often hardest hit by the effects of the climate crisis and biodiversity loss, and to create change where and when it is needed most. She devotes most of her time to researching how youth can contribute to protecting Half of the planet while empowering local communities. Yen holds a Master’s degree in Sustainable Development from Katholieke Universiteit Leuven.
Laila Martins
Laila Martins is an innovative and solution-oriented sustainability and regenerative strategist who grasps opportunities quickly and inspires others to co-create a regenerative future for our planet, communities, and companies. Her ever-growing passion is working towards a more equitable economy through verified standards on social and environmental performance, transparency, and accountability.
As a core mobilizer with Youth for Ecocide Law, Laila is dedicated to researching companies aligned with the Stop Ecocide’s values, executing an engagement strategy with key decision-makers, and developing partnership agreements to drive change.
Somabha Bandopadhay
Somabha Bandopadhay is the Governance Facilitator for the GARN Youth Hub, within the Global Alliance for the Rights of Nature. She works as a teaching assistant at the West Bengal National University for Juridical Sciences (WBNUJS), Kolkata, India.
Somabha won the prestigious Bar Council of India Inter-University Moot Court competition in 2017 and was adjudged as the Best Speaker as well as the Best Female Advocate, which ensured her a scholarship from the Council for a year. She pursues active research on transgender rights in India and has been awarded the Indo-Canadian Shastri Scholarship to pursue research on victimization of transgender persons to visit the School of Criminology, University of Montreal, Canada.
She is actively engaged in the Rights of Nature movement. Apart from spearheading the activities of the Youth Hub, Somabha is presently pursuing research with Dr. Subin Sunder Raj and Zoe Lujic concerning Glyphosate and Rights of Nature in collaboration with Earth Thrive, United Kingdom and another research on the Declaration of Rights of the Mediterranean Sea.
Oscar Dohr
Oscar Dohr works on projects facilitating youth peer education, to empower young people to create change. He’s a Co-Founder at YOUTHTOPIA and represents young people at conferences and in board meetings for companies and NGOs around the world.
Youthtopia is a collective of youth from all over the world, who inspire and support each others' journeys as changemakers, activists, leaders, and movement builders. With a headquarters in Bali, Youthtopia creates and offers free changemaker training courses to empower young people to change the world.
Moderated by:
Léa Weimann
Léa Weimann is a passionate eco- activist who has organized environmental campaigns in South Africa, Germany, and the UK. She holds a Masters in International Relations and Sustainable Development from the University of St Andrews in Scotland and recently completed her LLM in Global Environment and Climate Change Law from the University of Edinburgh. She runs her own blog and podcast Eco-Activist Journeys, and represented the Youth NGO Change for Planet at Stockholm+50 and COP27. In 2020, Léa launched her debut poetry book called “Dear Earth.” It explores hope in times of crises, our human-nature connection, the climate youth movement, and societal transformation. Today, Léa is a Co-Lead of the Youth for Ecocide Law network and leads outreach to young artists.