ERI active during the recent United Nations Human Rights Council session.
Edmund Rice International has been part of the call at the United Nations for the recognition of the human right to a clean, healthy and sustainable environment and the decision to establish a Special Rapporteur on Human Rights and Climate Change.
By the conclusion of the most recent UN sitting session, the Human Rights Council had adopted four resolutions on the right to development, human rights and indigenous peoples, the human rights implications of the COVID-19 pandemic on young people, and the human right to a safe, clean, healthy and sustainable environment
ERI also co-sponsored other statements delivered by their partner organisations:
- the International Catholic Centre in Geneva on the monitoring and implementation of recommendations at the local level
- the Congregation of the Good Shepherd on Obstetric Fistula, a preventable medical condition, the neglect of which amounts to torture according to the UN Committee Against Torture.
UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres identified six key areas where urgent action is required.
“For far too many around the world, peace and stability remain a distant dream” he said pointing to places such as Afghanistan, Ethiopia, Myanmar, Syria, and the Sahel region in Africa. “We are also seeing an explosion in seizures of power by force,” he noted while calling for cooperation, dialogue and understanding to restore trust and inspire hope among nations.
Addressing the climate emergency, he urged States not to wait for others to make the first move but to shift to a green economy through steps such as taxing carbon, ending subsidies to fossil fuels and committing to no new coal power plants.
Ending inequality was also identified as a priority. Inequality in the roll-out of Covid-19 vaccines with most of the population of wealthier countries being vaccinated while more than 90 per cent of Africans are still awaiting their first dose is one example. Inequality between men and women also continues to represent a significant injustice and the Secretary General urged a shifting of power from the current male-dominated world, to include more women leaders in government and business, and stressed the need to address gender-based violence in every country.
Pictured is the urban landscape of Manila, with slums and skyscrapers and residential areas threatened by rising ocean levels.
Inequality in accessing digital technology was also highlighted (half the planet does not have internet access) while at the same time concern was expressed about the collection and abuse of online data - an issue that also needs to be addressed.
Finally the Secretary-General called for greater engagement with young people, noting that the majority of young people in 10 countries surveyed, are suffering from high levels of anxiety and distress over the state of the planet, and some 60 per cent of future voters worldwide feel betrayed by their governments.
