In June 2015, the French President requested Corinne Lepage, former environment minister and President of the French citizen movement CAP21, to begin work on a Universal Declaration of the Rights of Humankind within the scope of the COP21. She presented the resulting text on the 2nd of November to the members of the Economic, Social and Environmental Council*.
Why This New Declaration?
Building on the human rights of individuals, this is an attempt to set out the rights of all of humanity. The Declaration introduces the right of all people on Earth to live in a world whose future is not compromised by the irresponsibility of the present. François Hollande Environmental Conference 2014
The fact that this is a French initiative is not insignificant. France is a country that values human rights, and in its role of host for the COP21, the French President deemed it important to show that France is fully aware of the looming environmental challenges, and that the country is ready to make significant commitments.
Climate change already has dramatic effects on the environment but also, and most of all, on people. The new text is based on the following statement: “The extreme seriousness of the situation is a cause for concern for all of humanity, and it requires the recognition of new principles, and of new rights and duties.”
What Does It Imply?
With only a few weeks to go until the COP21, this text evokes the notion of collective responsibility: to act today for our future, and for the future of generations to come; not to close our eyes to this alarming reality that already affects millions of people around the world; to seek out solutions now, to be able to adapt and mitigate the effects from climate change.
Present generations are considered to be the guardians of the Earth’s resources, of the ecological balance, the common heritage, and the natural, cultural, material and immaterial heritage. They therefore have the duty to preserve this legacy and to make use of it with prudence, responsibility, and fairness. Article 12
The Declaration comprises six rights, six duties, and the following four main principles:
- Intergenerational solidarity;
- Dignity of humankind;
- Continued existence of humankind;
- Non-discrimination on the grounds of belonging to a certain generation.
What Can We Expect from this Declaration?
The text cannot be considered as binding, but the objective is its adoption by the United Nations Assembly in 2016. This is a first step that initially only has symbolic value, but that should nevertheless not be taken lightly (it would be difficult to simply dismiss this initiative out of hand).
It remains to be seen what the real impacts from this declaration will be and whether this work will not have been in vain: that it does not, once more, turn out to have been mere rhetoric.
Emilie Chavaroche, Environment Editor
* The Economic, Social and Environmental Council is a constitutional consultative assembly. It represents key economic, social and environmental fields, promoting cooperation between different socio-professional interest groups and ensuring they are part of the process of shaping and reviewing public policy.
