Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) approved a historic resolution on the negative impact of war on the environment.
The document defines the term "ecocide" and adds it as a new crime in the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court, reports Ministry of Environmental Protection and Natural Resources on Telegram.
It is noted that PACE members recognized that armed conflicts and wars destroy human lives and cause irreversible damage to nature.
The message emphasized that, according to the members of the Assembly, international legal instruments lack universality, especially regarding claims for compensation for environmental damage.
New resolution:
- defines the concept of ecocide in national legislation and international law;
- amends the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court and adds ecocide as a new crime.
The press service emphasized that PACE members agreed to coordinate the implementation of the principles of environmental protection in connection with armed conflicts and promote their dissemination through relevant national institutions, diplomatic channels and international stakeholders.
Earlier, EcoPolitic wrote, that the President of Ukraine, Volodymyr Zelenskyi, during his speech to the New Zealand Parliament, called to support the Ukrainian peace formula and start the consolidation of the world for the sake of countering ecocide.
As EcoPolitic previously reported, Ukrainian animal rights activists called on foreign state, international non-governmental organizations and eco-activists to join forces in order to attract Russian Federation to responsibility for ecocide in Ukraine and the restoration of the environment after the war, in particular with the help of reparations.