Nuremberg to The Hague (via Helsinki & Madrid)
Launch of Independent Expert Panel for the Legal Definition of Ecocide, 75 years after Genocide & Crimes Against Humanity coined at Nuremberg
Side events at the International Criminal Court’s Assembly of States Parties: Ecocide as an International Crime: Key Considerations and The destruction of ecosystems and its impact on indigenous communities: a role for the ICC?
Belgium: 1st European country to raise the issue at the ICC of criminalising ecocide
Finland: gesture of support for ecocide conversation
Spain: Foreign Affairs Parliamentary Committee calls for consideration of criminalising ecocide
Netherlands: white paper on ecocide submitted to parliament
France: national ecocide law sparks controversy over the term
Top lawyers to draft ecocide definition
Last month with powerful symbolic timing, exactly 75 years since the terms “Genocide” and “Crimes Against Humanity” were first spoken in Nuremberg’s Courtroom 600, the Stop Ecocide Foundation launched its Independent Expert Panel for the Legal Definition of Ecocide. As Co-chair Philippe Sands put it, “new times call for new crimes” and with ecocide now a threat on a global scale, defining it as an international crime is rapidly becoming imperative. The drafting panel expects to report back in June 2021.
Side events at the ICC
For the second consecutive year, the Republic of Vanuatu co-hosted an official ICC side event with us on the subject of ecocide. In association the Institute for Environmental Security, this excellent panel event featured renowned international lawyer (and Co-chair of the ecocide drafting panel) Philippe Sands, as well as Kate Mackintosh of the Promise Institute at UCLA, MEP Marie Toussaint and former ICC judge Tuiloma Neroni Slade. Superbly moderated by the BBC's Africa correspondent Andrew Harding, this is essential holiday viewing...
This collaborative panel saw the moral and judicial values of the ICC as key to addressing the most serious international crimes, including the possible future crime of ecocide. It was an honour to welcome Nina Gualinga, indigenous and environmental rights defender from the Sarayaku people in Ecuador, with Wouter Veening of the Institute for Environmental Security, Patrick Alley of Global Witness, Rhavena Moreira of the Center for Climate Crime Analysis and Charlie Holt of Greenpeace International. Co-hosted by Foundation Earth and Green Transparency
Belgium raises ecocide at ICC
This year Belgium became the first European country to raise criminalising ecocide at the International Criminal Court. The country’s official statement to the ICC’s Assembly of States Parties last week was made by Deputy Prime Minister & Foreign Minister Sophie Wilmès who stated: “Belgium believes that it would be useful to examine the possibility of introducing crimes known as ‘ecocide’ into the Rome Statute system.” Read more here .
Finland extends gesture of support
Finland has extended a clear gesture of support towards the criminalisation of ecocide at the International Criminal Court. Foreign Minister Pekka Haavisto sent a special video greeting to our side event co-hosted with Vanuatu. We look forward to Finland actively joining the conversation over the coming months.
Spain: Foreign Affairs Committee calls for consideration of ecocide
Spain’s Foreign Affairs Parliamentary Committee has just passed a resolution calling on the government to consider criminalising ecocide. The resolution has 3 parts, urging the Spanish government to examine the possibilities for including ecocide in domestic legislation; for supporting Vanuatu and the Maldives with regard to amending the Rome Statute; and for actually proposing ecocide amendments to the Statute. Read more here.
White paper on ecocide submitted to Dutch parliament
Dutch Party for the Animals, which holds 4 seats in the NL Parliament, has this week , submitted its white paper to Parliament outlining the need for international legislation on Ecocide.
Dutch Parliamentarian Lammert van Raan said: “we call on Parliament to take 10 actions, ranging from submitting an amendment to add ecocide as a crime to the Statute of Rome to investigating the role of the Netherlands in waylaying such an effort in the past. Read more here.
French government’s weak use of the term “ecocide”
In an unexpected move, the French government recently announced the creation of a new crime of “ecocide” which appears to be little more than a stronger enforcement of environmental obligations under existing law. This use of the term doesn’t come close to what President Macron implied in his supporting statement in June when he promised to champion recognition of ecocide at the international level. Read more here .
What to share this month
Video recording of Stop Ecocide Foundation’s official written statement to the ICC’s Assembly of States Parties.
Political speech of the year! - calling on all states to consider adding ecocide to the Rome Statute. Delivered by our co-founder Jojo Mehta.
Excited about our work? Support us!
Momentum is gathering around criminalising ecocide, which means we are busier than ever and the work is expanding fast. Your help is invaluable in enabling us to keep pace with global developments, so please consider setting up a regular donation via Paypal or credit/debit card today.
For many around the world this year has been dark and difficult. Lost loved ones. Lost livelihoods. Lost species. Lost ecosystems. But perhaps - if governments are beginning to consider making it a crime to destroy our precious life-support systems - not lost hope. It’s been 5 years since the Paris agreement, and there are now 6 ICC member states interested in criminalising ecocide.
In 2021, let’s make it the conversation on everybody’s lips.