UN reports nearly 600 environmental defenders killed or disappeared worldwide in three years
UN reports nearly 600 environmental defenders killed or disappeared worldwide in three years
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Nearly 600 land and environmental defenders have been killed or disappeared worldwide over the past three years, the UN human rights chief said on Thursday, warning of a global crisis and urging stronger safeguards for environmental activists.
UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Türk made the disclosure while addressing the first-ever European Forum on Environmental Human Rights Defenders held in Strasbourg, France.
He said that in at least 55 countries, defenders have been detained solely for their activism.
Despite climate commitments by many European nations, the High Commissioner noted that governments on the continent are still enacting laws that criminalise peaceful protest. He called on authorities to respect court rulings and build a stronger regional protection system for those on the frontlines of environmental activism.
Türk’s remarks came on the eve of World Environment Day, observed annually on June 5 and led by the UN Environment Programme (UNEP).
UN Secretary-General António Guterres warned that the past 11 years have been the hottest on record, stressing that “every fraction of a degree brings greater harm – especially to the most vulnerable” and urging immediate action to address the escalating environmental crisis.
