Maldives calls for a fifth international crime of ecocide
Maldives calls for a fifth international crime of ecocide
"Please find below a press release from the Maldives government, which we are sharing on their behalf."
The Republic of Maldives, in its official statement to the Assembly of States Parties in The Hague has asserted its support for a fifth international crime of ecocide. The statement issued by the island nation, which has been a State Party to the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court (ICC) since 2011, read; “We believe the time is ripe to consider an amendment to the Rome Statute that would criminalise acts that amount to ecocide.”
The statement was issued by Mr. Ahmed Saleem, Member of Parliament and Chair of the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Climate Change and Environment. In it he emphasized the life-or-death situation faced by his people and was critical of the lack of international action on climate change. “A decade has passed since we reminded the Security Council that a mean sea-level rise of two metres would suffice to virtually submerge the entire Maldives under water. Yet, we see no serious efforts on the part of large emitting countries to save humanity from the impending climate change catastrophe. We see little or no concrete action at multilateral level to bring about transformative changes necessary to prevent the repercussions of climate change. We are gravely concerned that this inaction will ultimately lead to the death of nations such as ours.”
The Maldives, a low laying island nation of about 1200 islands in the middle of Indian Ocean, has long been a strong advocate on climate change issues. Its serious concern over the impact of climate change was brought to global attention a decade ago, in 2009, when the country’s then President, Mohamed Nasheed, together with his cabinet ministers, held the world’s first underwater cabinet meeting. This was, a symbolic cry for help over rising sea levels that causes an existential threat to the tropical archipelagic nation.
Maldives has been reiterating the urgent need to act swiftly on the issue of climate change at many international forums. Its government remains steadfast in addressing climate change issues and bringing the matter to the international frontline. At the Blue Leaders Call to Action on Ocean and Climate, held in New York this September, President Ibrahim Mohamed Solih strongly urged world leaders to support the conclusion of a robust new international agreement in 2020, for the conservation and management of high seas to prevent adverse environmental effects.
Highlighting the impact of climate change and its long term effect and threat to humanity, the country’s Foreign Minister, Abdulla Shahid, in a statement given to Climate Diplomacy, reminded the world that, small island states may be the first to feel the impacts of climate change, but should we fail to unite in this fight, its impacts will reach bigger, more developed countries.
Noting his disappointment with the speed in which international communities are dealing with climate action, Hon. Ahmed Saleem remarked during this week’s Assembly: “My country, along with other environmentally vulnerable states has waited a long time, hoping that concrete steps will be taken at an international level to address this imminent climate emergency which our people face.” He further noted that “it is time justice for climate change victims be recognised as part and parcel of the international criminal justice system.”
The Maldives’ full statement is visible on the ICC website
IMAGE Mr. Ahmed Saleem, Member of Parliament and Chair of the Parliamentary Standing Committee on Climate Change and Environment.
The stories of those suffering ecocide will be shown in The Hague
The stories of those suffering Ecocide will be shown in The Hague
On December 4th, delegates attending the International Criminal Court (ICC) eighteenth session on the Assembly of State Parties will be given the opportunity to see what it’s like for communities losing their ecological support system. In an evening event, hosted by Stop Ecocide at the Museon in The Hague, 3 short films will feature the impacts of ecocide and the potential of one legal solution that is in their power to progress.
Jojo Mehta, co-founder of Stop Ecocide, said: I have a feeling that the conversation on ecocide is about to open up, this is the first time we’ve had the opportunity to present the possibility of establishing ecocide crime directly to delegates at the International Criminal Court conference. The evening event is an exceptional opportunity to gain an empathic insight into those communities already suffering ECOCIDE and to understand the potential of a simple legal solution with the power to reconnect humanity to the greater web of life, protecting future generations of all species including our own.
The legal solution proposed by Stop Ecocide – featured in the films – is to protect and prevent further harm to the natural living world, we depend on, by making the mass damage and destruction of the Earth illegal. Reinstating the missing law of ecocide at the International Criminal Court is the most effective way to bring about the political and economic shift we need to stop the harm. Ecocide should be the 5th crime against peace.
Around the venue, photography by Jimmy Nelson (known for his portraits of indigenous communities) will show the stories of ecocide victims. Through stunning motion-picture and moving narratives, the 3 films bring immediate attention to:
· The scale of the climate crisis, know in the Pacific as ‘Big Sun’
· The ripple effects caused by the protection and destruction of the Amazon Rainforest, and
· An extract of The Code featuring internationally renowned lawyers – who are united in their fight to end impunity for major environmental crimes and unanimous in their support to change international law.
Diplomats and parliamentary delegates attending the ICC conference, along with the public, are invited to attend this exclusive event titled ‘Harm to Harmony’ to understand how they can – and must – support making ecocide a crime.
The programme for the evening event and Stop Ecocide’s wider presence at the conference from 2 to 7 December is available here.
Films will be released at a later date for general viewing. Please keep an eye on our website for further details.
Notes to editors
The eighteenth session of the Assembly of States Parties (ASP) to the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court (ICC) is held at the World Forum Convention Centre in The Hague, The Netherlands, from 2 to 7 December 2019. The Rome Statue is the ICC’s governing document, it outlines the jurisdiction of the court to prosecute individuals for genocide, war crimes, crimes against humanity, and aggression. At the conference, States Parties to the Rome Statute, the Court's founding treaty, observer States, invited States, international and regional organizations and representatives from civil society will discuss key challenges facing the Statute.
The President of the Assembly of State Parties, H. E. O-Gon Kwon, said: "This year the Assembly faces key decisions on the way forward in view of the anticipated review of the Court, one that would ultimately strengthen the Court and enable it to successfully confront the challenges that it faces today, twenty-one years after adoption of the Rome Statute".
The Stop Ecocide full programme of events in The Hague is attached for reference. Further details on the films can be provided.
Contact: PRESS & PR
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About Stop Ecocide
Stop Ecocide campaigns to protect the Earth by making serious harm to nature a crime. It is an international public-facing campaign, managed by a UK non-profit (Ecological Defence Integrity Ltd), incorporated in 2017, for the purpose of supporting the establishment of an international law of ecocide.
Further legal and historical information can be found at www.ecocidelaw.com
Recent coverage:
BBC World Service (between 8.50-13.08 mins)
Vanuatu calls for internatioal criminal court to seriously consider recognising crime of ecocide
Vanuatu calls for International Criminal Court to seriously consider recognizing crime of ecocide
On 3rd December 2019 in The Hague, at the International Criminal Court (ICC)’s annual Assembly of States Parties, the Pacific island state of Vanuatu made a bold statement - that the Assembly should consider seriously expanding the court's remit to include a crime of ecocide.
Ambassador John Licht of Vanuatu, speaking on behalf of his government to the full plenary session of the Assembly, declared: "An amendment of the Rome Statute could criminalise acts that amount to ecocide. We believe this radical idea merits serious discussion."
This came in the context of Vanuatu’s declared commitment to universal justice for the most serious crimes, and also the observation that sea level rise and other impacts of climate change continue to compromise Vanuatu’s ability to achieve sustainable development under the 2030 SDG Agenda.
Exploring justice for mass destruction to the natural environment and effects of global warming, Vanuatu’s official statement suggested that the Assembly of States Parties is supremely well positioned to consider averting climate catastrophe and securing reparation for victims through the international courts system.
The statement continued: “Science indicates that global warming is real and will only get worse and catastrophic if we do not achieve the rapid and far-reaching transformations necessary to keep temperature below 1.5 degrees. Therefore resolving to strengthen the international rule of law to protect our common heritage and environment could be our joint legacy.”
This is the first time since 1972 that a state representative has formally called for ecocide to be recognised at an international forum of such representatives. The last person to do so was Swedish premier Olof Palme in 1972 at the UN Stockholm Conference on the Human Environment where he described the air and oceans as a shared environment towards which we all must have a duty of care, declaring that "ecocide... requires urgent international attention"
Ambassador Licht remarked after giving his speech: "We need to construct a strong bridge between science and legal pathways to explore how best the State Parties through their relevant international institutions could commence discussions on finding a legal recourse to the ongoing destruction of the natural environment and the Earth’s climate system – what we refer to as Ecocide.
“Vanuatu is not alone in the climate crisis”, he continued. “Societies around the world are facing similar challenges that continue to take lives and destroy economic wealth of affected regions at an unprecedented scale. Vanuatu believes that the ICC’s Assembly needs to remain relevant in the face of the greatest threats to human rights in the history of mankind – it needs to seriously consider amendments to have ecocide as the fifth crime under the Rome Statute.”
The official statement to full Assembly came shortly after a side event hosted by the Republic of Vanuatu on "Investigating & Prosecuting Ecocide: the current and future role of the ICC". The event was chaired by Ambassador Licht and featured Pacific speakers from Tuvalu and new ICC member state Kiribati, whose accession to the ICC’s Rome Statute took place just last month following a key roundtable meeting in Vanuatu’s capital Port Vila earlier this year. Also speaking were lawyers from France and Chile, international criminal barrister Richard Rogers and Stop Ecocide's co-founder Jojo Mehta.
Jojo Mehta said: "The panel event was full and the atmosphere charged. This is an idea whose time has not only come, it's long overdue. It's committed and courageous of Vanuatu to take the step of openly calling for consideration of a crime of ecocide, and it was clear from the response today that they will not be alone. The political climate is changing, in recognition of the changing climate. This initiative is only going to grow - all we are doing is helping to accelerate a much-needed legal inevitability."
Read official statement here
Images:
1. On the podium: Ambassador John Licht making Vanuatu's official statement.
2. Side event on ecocide left to right: Ambassador John Licht of Vanuatu; Rodrigo Lledó, Chilean lawyer; Jojo Mehta, director of Ecological Defence Integrity and co-founder of Stop Ecocide campaign; Losaline Teo, Crown Counsel of Tuvalu; Natan Brechtefeld Teewe, Former Minister of Justice, Kiribati
EDITORS NOTES:
Vanuatu is a Pacific island state made up of around 80 islands and has been designated the world's most climate vulnerable state. The small Republic with a population of 270,000 is a leading voice in the region and already last year publicly stated its willingness to take legal routes to pursue climate justice and compensation for climate damage.
Ecological Defence Integrity is a UK non-profit founded in 2017 by environmental campaigner Jojo Mehta and legal pioneer the late Polly Higgins (1968-2019), to support the establishment of ecocide as a crime at the International Criminal Court. To crowdfund for this they launched the public-facing campaign Stop Ecocide, where supporters declare themselves Earth Protectors and contribute to a globally validated Trust Fund.
Ecological Defence Integrity Programme of Events during International Criminal Court, Assembly of States Parties 18th Session 2019. December 2019.
Ecological Defence Integrity Programme at The Hague
Events during International Criminal Court,
Assembly of States Parties 18th Session 2019
Events during International Criminal Court, Assembly of States Parties 18th Session 2019
SEE FULL PROGRAMME BELOW
Pope francis: destroying the earth is a sin and should be a crime.
Pope Francis: Destroying the Earth is a sin and should be a crime.
Addressing the International Association of Penal Law in the Vatican on 15th November 2019, Pope Francis proposed that “sins against ecology” be added to the teachings of the Catholic Church and went a step further, saying “ecocide” should be a fifth category of crimes against peace at the international level.
The Pope described acts that “can be considered as ‘ecocide’: the massive contamination of air, land and water resources, the large-scale destruction of flora and fauna, and any action capable of producing an ecological disaster or destroying an ecosystem.” Adding: “By ‘ecocide’ we should understand the loss, damage and destruction of ecosystems of a given territory, so that its enjoyment by the inhabitants has been or may be severely affected. This is a fifth category of crimes against peace, which should be recognised as such by the international community.”
This is exactly what Stop Ecocide is campaigning for. Jojo Mehta, co-founder of Stop Ecocide, said: ‘We’re thrilled to hear Pope Francis calling for serious harm to the Earth (ecocide) to be made a crime. His comments show he is aware of our work. With his global influence behind this, we hope to see many other Heads of State step forward in support.”
In order to add ecocide to the governing document of the International Criminal Court, known as the Rome Statute, any member Head of State may propose an amendment. With a 2/3 majority the amendment can be adopted and enforced by those who sign up to it (to enforce for all 122 member States a 7/8 majority is required).
Many of the countries with the largest Catholic populations are signed up to the Rome Statute, including: Brazil (126M), Mexico (98M), Italy (50M), France (44M), Columbia (36M), Poland (33M), Spain (32M) and Democratic Republic of Congo (28M) (size of Catholic population, ref: WorldAtlas). For these member States - and others who aren’t, with sizable Catholic populations like the United States (71M) and the Philippines (85M) - it is important that the Pope said: "We are thinking of introducing into the Catechism of the Catholic Church the sin against ecology, ecological sin, against the common home, because it is a duty."
Notes to editors:
Catechism of the Catholic Church is a summary of the teachings of the Catholic Church used for religious instruction.
The definition of Ecocide used by Pope Francis is the definition Polly Higgins, co-founder of Stop Ecocide, submitted to the UN Law Commission in 2010: “loss or damage to, or destruction of ecosystem(s) of a given territory(ies), such that peaceful enjoyment by the inhabitants has been or will be severely diminished.”
Contact: PRESS & PR
press@stopecocide.earth
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About Stop Ecocide
Stop Ecocide campaigns to protect the Earth by making serious harm to nature a crime. It is an international public-facing campaign, managed by a UK non-profit incorporated in 2017, for the purpose of forwarding an international law of ecocide.
Further legal and historical information can be found at www.ecocidelaw.com
Recent coverage:
BBC World Service (between 8.50-13.08 mins)
Stop Ecocide proposes “concrete solution” to climate & ecological emergency at the International Rebellion
NEWS RELEASE
Stop Ecocide proposes “concrete solution” to climate & ecological emergency at the International Rebellion
Stop Ecocide, the global campaign to make ecocide an international crime, will have a presence and speakers at the international rebellion. Extinction Rebellion has stated it will peacefully blockade various key sites across central London this month until three demands – for truth, action and a democracy fit for purpose – are met. Allied movements across 60 countries will be taking action simultaneously.
Stop Ecocide considers itself a distinct yet complementary campaign, based since 2017 in Stroud, the same small Cotswold town that saw the birth of Extinction Rebellion. Jojo Mehta, co-founder of Stop Ecocide, says: “Big societal shifts – such as the civil rights movement, women getting the vote and the abolition of the slave trade – have always been driven by large grassroots mobilisations, supported by legislative changes. XR and the Youth Strikes have woken the world up to the problem. Ecocide law is a concrete legislative solution we can now demand of our governments, to protect the Earth and future generations.”
Establishing ecocide as an atrocity crime at the International Criminal Court would make large-scale and systematic damage to ecosystems illegal – by making those in positions of superior responsibility liable to criminal prosecution as individuals, just as they would if they ordered or permitted a massacre.
“Ecocide is not just about CO2 emissions,” explains Ms Mehta. “It’s also about deforestation, biodiversity loss, water pollution, soil depletion, overfishing, industrial farming, oil spills. It criminalises any activity leading to widespread, long-term or severe loss, damage or destruction of ecosystems, including ways of life dependent on those ecosystems. With this one simple legal change, serious harm to the Earth can be prevented. When government ministers can no longer issue permits for it, when insurers can no longer underwrite it, when investors can no longer back it, when CEOs can be held criminally responsible for it, the harm will stop. Ecocide law is the missing piece to create climate and ecological justice.”
In order to add ecocide to the Rome Statute, the document governing the International Criminal Court, any member Head of State may propose an amendment. With a 2/3 majority the amendment can be adopted and enforced by those who ratify (to enforce for all members a 7/8 majority is required).
The campaign invites people to become “Earth Protectors” by gifting into a Trust Fund ring-fenced to support the progress of an ecocide amendment to the Rome Statute.
“The moment of proposal is key,” Ms Mehta adds, “because when a crime of ecocide becomes visible on the horizon, civil society across the world has a powerful lever to pressure their own governments. To this end, we have been working with small climate-vulnerable Pacific island states who have the incentive and also the power to propose an amendment. So this is not just a great idea – it’s already under discussion.”
An unusual feature of the campaign is that the Earth Protectors Trust Fund document has been apostilled in virtually every jurisdiction in the world, giving it weight in a court of law. It has been used by some activists in criminal trials as primary evidence of their status as “Conscientious Protectors”, underlining their human right to Freedom of Conscience and enabling them to bring evidence supporting their motivation for taking peaceful direct action.
Jojo Mehta will be speaking at several of the Extinction Rebellion sites in London on Wednesday 9th October.
Contact: PRESS & PR
press@stopecocide.earth
Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | Website
About Stop Ecocide
Stop Ecocide is a public-facing campaign managed by Ecological Defence Integrity Ltd (EDI), a UK non-profit incorporated in 2017 for the purpose of forwarding an international law of ecocide.
Further legal and historical information can be found at www.ecocidelaw.com
Recent coverage:
CBC Radio (from 1min50in)
BBC World Service (between 8.50-13.08 mins)
Earth Protector Towns
Earth Protector Towns
By joining the Earth Protector Town pilot scheme, a Town Council is committed to work with the local community – including local businesses, local government bodies, educational, health and other community organisations – to protect and enhance the environment in and around the town.
In doing so, a ‘town’ is endorsing the campaign to make Ecocide a crime at an international level. The Earth Protector Town concept emanates directly from the central initiative of the Earth Protector global movement which aims to Stop Ecocide: change the law. Ecocide is the serious loss, damage or destruction of ecosystems, and includes climate and cultural damage.
There are five goals for Earth Protector Towns:
Produce a strategy and a date to achieve a carbon zero future
Practice the move from sustainable to regenerative living wherever possible
Protect and enhance eco-systems, habitats and species in and around the town
Pioneer the reduction and elimination of single use plastic
Promote awareness of climate and ecological emergencies
The Council pledges that any future investment decisions will consider the environmental practices of the institutions involved, as well as existing legal requirements on public investments.
These goals form a framework for a steering group to audit, plan and monitor the activities and projects which will help to protect and enhance the local land, wildlife, air, soil and water. The framework will launch on 22nd April (Earth Day) 2020 and will be shared for towns across the world to use.
How is this different from other Town networks and accreditation schemes?
An Earth Protector Town starts with the principle: first do no harm. It puts in place a strategic framework of ‘managed preparedness’ to act in accordance with the seriousness of the climate and ecological crisis. In addition the Council pledges to support the global movement to amend international criminal law to make Ecocide a crime.
A Council will collaborate and cooperate with local communities, businesses, and organisations to act locally and urgently in response to the current international climate and ecological emergency.
Stop Ecocide is an dynamic campaign requiring active support and global engagement to halt and prohibit current destructive industrial practices. When ecocide is criminalised, the current cycle of harm in pursuit of profit is disrupted. Our earth and life everywhere will be protected.
What can be more urgently important?
Learn more: https://www.stopecocide.earth/ecocide
Become an Earth Protector.
For more on Earth Protector Towns and how to get involved please contact us at:
hello@earthprotectortowns.earth
Stop Ecocide: Change the law - An Overview
Stop Ecocide: Change the law - An Overview
The world is in climate and ecological crisis. And right now ECOCIDE (large-scale destruction of the natural living world) is legally permitted. Current regulations simply do not stop the harm.
We believe that the most effective way to turn the planetary ship around is to make ECOCIDE an international crime - and we are already partway down the road to making this happen.
Our non-profit Ecological Defence Integrity, founded in 2017 by UK barrister the late Polly Higgins and environmental campaigner Jojo Mehta, is working on adding Ecocide to the list of crimes prosecuted at the International Criminal Court (ICC), to sit alongside War Crimes, Genocide, Crimes Against Humanity and - more recently - Crimes of Aggression.
Our work has two key elements:
Diplomatic/legal - our international team is already working with small, climate-vulnerable states which have the power to propose an Ecocide amendment at the ICC. The ICC’s annual conference in The Hague in December is the key forum for advancing this work. We have accompanied Pacific island representatives and enabled their voices and concerns to be heard there for 3 consecutive years, as the nations most impacted by climate emergency. This year we are taking four Island States with us.
Campaigning - our public-facing STOP ECOCIDE CAMPAIGN is both funding this work and raising global awareness of ecocide crime as a concrete solution capable of addressing our global crisis.
Supporters declare themselves Earth Protectors, providing visible support for the campaign and for Small Island Developing States (Global South) progressing a law of ecocide, and contributing into a fund to support legal, diplomatic and practical assistance for those states.
Who are we?
We have a core team of lawyers, academics, researchers and diplomatic contacts working with Pacific island states towards proposing a crime of ecocide at the ICC.
We have a second growing team of campaign and outreach staff taking forward the Stop Ecocide campaign internationally, supported by a team of volunteers.
Contact: PRESS & PR
press@stopecocide.earth
Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | Website
About Stop Ecocide
Stop Ecocide is a public-facing campaign managed by Ecological Defence Integrity Ltd (EDI), a UK non-profit incorporated in 2017 for the purpose of forwarding an international law of ecocide.
Further legal and historical information can be found at www.ecocidelaw.com
Recent coverage:
CBC Radio (from 1min50in)
BBC World Service (between 8.50-13.08 mins)