Official plenary statement

A Joint NGO Statement to the 31st Session of the Commission on Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice was submitted by ECOSOC members Socialist International Women and under the auspices of the NGO Committee on Sustainable Development (Vienna), was endorsed by no fewer than 42 ECOSOC member organisations.

You can read the submitted document here:

Official side event

’Criminalising ecocide - a new deterrent to crimes that affect the environment’

The Earth is experiencing massive environmental damage which is exacerbating the climate crisis and threatening lives, livelihoods and biodiversity. Some of this destruction falls under existing environmental crimes, but much is “collateral damage” on a large scale caused by corporations in pursuit of profit. Legal sanctions are under-enforced and usually lead to fines or damages; these are treated as a cost of doing business.

An international crime of ecocide could criminalise “unlawful or wanton” acts threatening the most severe environmental harms, thus strengthening and underpinning existing regulatory measures being undertaken globally to protect the environment. The new crime would provide a practical route to prosecute individuals who in committing crimes that affect the environment are often involved in several kinds of organised crime. But importantly, the introduction of ecocide under the jurisdiction of the International Criminal Court (ICC) will provide a sobering check and guardrail for CEOs and decision makers contemplating major extractive projects which significantly endanger ecosystems.

A legal definition of ecocide has been drafted by an international team of legal experts and is a subject of discussion in 19 ICC member states at parliamentary and/or government level; we anticipate that it will be tabled for discussion at the ICC in the near future.

This session will look at the progress of this legal initiative and how it can deter reckless destruction, acting as a guide rail to foster healthier and more sustainable practices. ---

Speakers:
1. Jojo Mehta, Chair, Stop Ecocide Foundation
2. Richard Rogers, Partner, Global Diligence; Executive Director, Climate Counsel
3. Andrea Crosta, Executive Director, Earth League International
4. Seema Joshi, Director of Campaigns, Global Witness

Moderated by Justice Antonio Benjamin

Organised by: Stop Ecocide International

In association with: Socialist International Women, Stop Ecocide Foundation, Stop Ecocide International, Climate Counsel, Global Witness, Earth League International, Criminologists Without Borders and NGO Committee on Sustainable Development Vienna