Campaigns
The Green Rights Coalition is stepping up its actions, and we are particularly proud of our progress. Discover some of our most recent projects. Explore the details of our initiatives, learn who benefits from our support, and understand how we are taking action to shape a more environmentally friendly future. We invite you to learn more about our concrete impact and how everyone can contribute to this crucial cause.
The Green Rights Coalition submits
a brief tothe International Court of Justice on
obligations of states in respect of climate change
​The Green Rights Coalition has submitted an amicus curiae brief to the International Court of Justice (ICJ) in response to the United Nations General Assembly's request for an advisory opinion on States’ obligations regarding climate change (resolution 77/276, 29 March 2023).
This contribution, co-signed by more than a hundred dedicated young volunteers and ambassadors of the Green Rights Coalition from 34 different countries, is presented on behalf of the global youth.
The submission invites the Court to affirm the legal value of environmental rights, particularly the right of future generations and the right to a healthy environment. It urges the Court to leverage these environmental rights as legal ground for establishing States’ obligations and responsibilities related to climate change.
Among these obligations, the submission calls the Court to enshrine procedural obligations (for example, the obligation to inform the public about climate change) and substantive obligations (for example, the obligation to take national measures against climate change).
Additionally, on the subject of liability, the submission advocates for the recognition of a right of action for individuals against States before national courts, enabling them to hold states accountable through national courts to ensure compliance with international environmental obligations.
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Our Amicus curiae brief is available to download free of charge here. For your convenience, you will also find a summary of our arguments in a few pages here, as well as the accompanying press release here.
Coalition for the right to a healthy environment
The Global Coalition of Civil Society, Indigenous Peoples, Social Movements and Local Communities for the Universal Recognition of the Human Right to a Clean, Healthy and Sustainable Environment, of which the Green Rights Coalition (previously known as the Global Pact Coalition) has been an active member since 2021, received the prestigious 2023 United Nations Human Rights Prize. This recognition highlights the intrinsic link between human rights and environmental protection, as well as the sustained efforts of the global community to promote them.
The Human Rights Prize, presented every five years for "outstanding achievement in the field of human rights", has previously been presented to notable figures such as Eleanor Roosevelt, Malala Yousafzai, Martin Luther King Jr. and Nelson Mandela.
This distinction awarded to a global coalition for the first time illustrates the impact and interest of a collaborative approach and strong partnerships with members of civil society. Thus the Coalition is rewarded for its essential role in advocacy which resulted, in 2022, in the recognition of the right to a healthy environment by the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA). The collective efforts of the Global Coalition have proven that working together is not only possible, but has a huge impact.
The Executive Director of the Green Rights Coalition, Victoria Lichet, joined members of the Green Rights Coalition in New York to receive this award.
Additional Protocol to the European Convention on Human Rights
The momentum generated by the recognition of the right to a healthy environment by the United Nations General Assembly in July 2022 has increased pressure for explicit recognition of this right within a binding legal framework of the Council of Europe. Thus the publication by the National Consultative Commission on Human Rights (CNCDH) of its Declaration (D-2023-3) pleads in favor of the inclusion of this fundamental human right within the European Convention on Human Rights.
The Green Rights Coalition, working closely with civil society organizations and influential figures such as the United Nations Special Rapporteur on Human Rights and the Environment, David Boyd, seized this opportunity to set up a campaign in favor of the integration of the right to a healthy environment. As an active member of this campaign, the Coalition mobilizes its network, particularly in France, to promote the right to a healthy environment and encourage support for this campaign.
The Global Pact for the Environment
The Global Pact for the Environment project has its origins in an international civil society initiative. It was proposed in June 2017 by an international network of around a hundred eminent jurists (professors, judges, lawyers) representing more than forty countries from the North and South.
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Based on both the right to live in a healthy environment and the duty of care for the environment, the Global Pact gives citizens the legal means to be active in protecting the planet. It recognizes the fundamental principles of prevention and repair of damage to the environment and establishes the tools to implement them (rights to information and public participation, right of access to environmental justice).
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It promotes the harmonization and clarification of standards for businesses, in order to avoid environmental dumping that is as dangerous for jobs as it is for the planet. In each state where it is ratified, it will lead legislators to enact new laws that are more protective of the environment. It will inspire judges to adopt more ambitious legal solutions.
Green Amendments for the Generations
The goal of Green Amendments For The Generations is to create a nationwide green amendment movement in the United States that would ensure that all Americans have the constitutional recognition and protection of their inalienable rights to clean water, clean air, a stable climate and a healthy environment .
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The Green Rights Coalition is a partner of Green Amendments For The Generations and supports the recognition of the right to a healthy environment and its inclusion in the constitutions of each American state.
Maastricht principles on the Human Rights of Future Generations
The Maastricht Principles for the Human Rights of Future Generations is an initiative in which the coalition participated, the aim of which is to elucidate the application of international law regarding the rights of future generations. The Maastricht Principles unify and update the evolving legal framework, strengthening the obligations of States and other entities under international law and human rights law. They offer an advanced interpretation of existing rights standards.