Les Maldives demandent un cinquième crime international d'écocide.
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."
Les Maldives demandent un cinquième crime international d'écocide.
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 genocide. 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.
Vanuatu appelle la Cour pénale internationale à envisager sérieusement de reconnaître le crime d'écocide
Vanuatu appelle la Cour pénale internationale à envisager sérieusement de reconnaître le crime d'écocide
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."
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
Contacts:
UK Chloe Dyson chloe@stopecocide.earth +44 7754 284728
Netherlands Katy Olivia van Tergouw katy@stopecocide.nl +31 6 44541125
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.
Pape François : Détruire la Terre est un péché et devrait être un crime.
Pape François: Détruire la Terre est un péché et devrait être un crime
S'adressant à l'Association internationale de droit pénal au Vatican le 15 novembre 2019, le pape François a proposé que «les péchés contre l'écologie» soient ajoutés aux enseignements de l'Église catholique. Il est même allé plus loin en disant que l'écocide devrait être une cinquième catégorie de crimes contre la paix au niveau international.
Le Pape a décrit des actes qui «peuvent être considérés comme écocides tels: la contamination massive de l’air, de la terre et de l’eau, la destruction à grande échelle de la flore et de la faune, ainsi que toute autre action susceptible de produire une catastrophe écologique ou de détruire un écosystème.» Il a ajouté: «Par écocide, nous devons comprendre la perte, les dommages et la destruction d’écosystèmes d’un territoire donné, de sorte que sa jouissance par les habitants a été ou peut être gravement affectée. Il s’agit d’une cinquième catégorie de crimes contre la paix, qui devraient être reconnus comme tels par la communauté internationale.»
C'est précisement ce pour quoi Stop Ecocide fait campagne. Jojo Mehta, co-fondatrice de Stop Ecocide, a déclaré: «Nous sommes ravis d’entendre le pape François appeler à criminaliser les dommages graves causés à la Terre (écocide). Ses commentaires montrent qu'il est conscient de notre travail. Avec son influence mondiale, nous espérons voir de nombreux autres chefs d’État faire un pas en avant.»
Afin d'ajouter l'écocide au document constitutif de la Cour pénale internationale, connu sous le nom de Statut de Rome, tout chef d'État membre peut proposer un amendement. Avec une majorité des 2/3, l'amendement peut être adopté et appliqué par ceux qui y souscrivent (pour y être appliqué dans les 122 États membres, une majorité de 7/8 est requise).
La plupart des pays avec les plus grandes populations catholiques sont signataires du Statut de Rome, notamment: Brésil (126M), Mexique (98M), Italie (50M), France (44M), Colombie (36M), Pologne (33M), Espagne (32M) et République démocratique du Congo (28M) (taille de la population catholique, réf: WorldAtlas). Pour ces Etats membres - et d'autres qui ne le sont pas, mais qui ont des populations catholiques conséquentes comme les Etats-Unis (71M) et les Philippines (85M) - il est important que le Pape ait déclaré: «Nous envisageons d'introduire dans le catéchisme de l’église catholique le péché contre l'écologie, le péché écologique, contre notre habitat commun, car c'est un devoir.»
Notes aux rédacteurs
Le Catéchisme de l'Église catholique est un résumé des enseignements de l'Église catholique utilisés pour l'instruction religieuse.
La définition de l'écocide utilisée par le pape François correspond à celle de Polly Higgins, co-fondatrice de Stop Ecocide, introduite à la Commission du droit des Nations Unies en 2010: «perte ou dommage, ou destruction d'écosystème/s d'un ou de plusieurs territoire/s donné/s, de sorte que la jouissance paisible des habitants a été ou sera gravement diminuée.»
Contact: PRESS & Relations Publiques
press@stopecocide.earth Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | Website
À propos de Stop Ecocide
La campagne Stop Ecocide vise à protéger la Terre en criminalisant les graves atteintes à la nature. Il s'agit d'une campagne internationale tournée vers le public, gérée par une organisation à but non lucratif britannique formée en 2017, dans le but de faire avancer une loi internationale sur l'écocide.
D'autres informations juridiques et historiques sont disponibles sur www.ecocidelaw.com
Couverture médiatique récente:
BBC World Service (voir la section de 8.50 à 13.08)