During preparations for the 50th anniversary of the Stockholm Conference on the Human Environment (Stockholm+50), the UN Environment Programme (UNEP) published a synthesis report of five regional multi-stakeholder consultations it co-convened with the Global Opportunities for Sustainable Development Goals (GO4SDGs).

The report highlights key recommendations from the leadership dialogues and from working groups on high-impact sectors identified by the regions as priorities. The first listed recommendation is:

"Criminalize “ecocide” and protect environmental defenders"

Read more on the website of the International Institute for Sustainable Development.

Co-founder and Executive Director of Stop Ecocide International, Jojo Mehta, speaks briefly on Stockholm+50, the importance of ecocide as a topic at the conference and the global movement to make ecocide an international crime.

UN Environment Programme’s Executive Director Inger Andersen, during an interview with ‘We Dont’ Have Time’, declared she believes that:

“sooner or later… ‘ecocide’ will walk its way into the United Nations vocabulary”.

Source: STHLM+50 Climate Hub, Jun 5

In a final plenary statement to the assembled states representatives, the Stockholm50 Youth Task Force read aloud the Global Youth Policy Paper demands.

The policy paper was conducted by the S+50 Youth Task Force and was put together following global consultations. The demand to governments is clear: 

“Introduce large-scale environmental destruction, ecocide, as a crime in the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court - as a means to hold governments and corporations accountable for their damage to our common planet.”

Björn Fondén (Stockholm+50 Youth Task Force), in his plenary statement said:

“We cannot continue living our lives pretending that nothing has changed. […] The Global Youth Policy Paper is the action plan from Stockholm+50 and we call on you […] to criminalise ecocide.”

During the official Youth Task Force side event;
“Towards A Sustainable, Youth-Inclusive Future: Presenting the demands of the Stockholm+50 Youth Policy Paper.”

The Youth Task Force presented the Global Youth Policy Paper and outlined their demands, including a call to governments to:

“Introduce large-scale environmental destruction, ecocide, as a crime in the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court.”

At the event, UNEP’s Executive Director Inger Andersen, stated:

“ecocide... has floated to the top, it's a conversation here in the (UN) halls, and the interesting part is, the word was used by Olof Palme in 1972.”

In an interfaith statement addressed to the UN Stockholm+50 international meeting, nearly 200 faith leaders and representatives of world religions called this week for criminalisation of ecocide.

One of 10 calls to action from governments, UN entities, civil society, as well as the signatories own constituencies is to: 

“Adopt and implement an Ecocide law* and promote the Faith for Ecocide Law initiative by FBOs; (Faith Based Organisations)”.

(*as it was first mentioned at the Stockholm conference in 1972 by the Swedish prime minister Olof Palme).

Read more.

This filmed intervention featured in the 'Law and Finance in Harmony with Nature' side event, held on 31st May, in association with Stockholm +50.

The film was introduced by Director Gert Bruch, Alliance of Mother Nature's Guardians / Planete Amazone.

“So to you all, I call for the recognition of the crime of ecocide that we must obtain for the future.”
(Chief Raoni Metuktire, Kayapo people, Brazil)

57 laureates of the Right Livelihood award (often considered the “Alternative Nobel Prize”) have sent a message to UN Stockholm+50 international environmental meeting urging “acknowledgement of ecocide as a crime”.

Dozens of laureates of the Right Livelihood award, including household names such as David Suzuki, Vandana Shiva and Greta Thunberg, have signed a message to governments calling on them to:

“enhance the concepts of Rights of Nature and Earth Trusteeship in our relationship with the earth and in our political and legal systems: This includes acknowledging earth systems as living systems, ‘ecocide’ as a crime against humanity, and the Rights of Nature as relevant and binding on governments”

Read more.

This event aimed to center Indigenous voices and create a safe space to deeply listen to their experiences and worldviews. Indigenous elders from Sapmi, the Ecuadorian Amazon and North America were first invited to share about what does ecocide feel, taste and sound like in their territories. Then, two young climate leaders, Xiye Bastida (Otomi Toltec, Mexico) and Ayisha Siddiqa (Pakistan/USA) were invited to step in and sit among the elders. Together, they shared about their dreams and their visions for a future without ecocide.

It featured key indigenous speakers Mindahi Crescencio Bastida Muñoz, Loretta Afraid of Bear Cook, Kurikindi, Jyoti Ma, Helene Lindmark and Randy Lays Bad.
Facilitated by: Louise Romain

Hosted by: Stop Ecocide International.
In association with: Stop Ecocide Foundation, Mother Earth Delegation of United Original Nations, The Fountain

At SPACE Arena, Stockholm, Sweden

At the Stockholm Conference in 1972, Olof Palme was the first Prime Minister to use the word ‘ecocide' to denote mass destruction of the environment. This Stockholm +50 Backdoor event celebrated this anniversary and pushed for real action to create our own ecocide law legacy.

Organised by End Ecocide Sweden.
In partnership with Stop Ecocide International, Azote, We Don't Have Time, Carthiel and Sibelius Academy, with support from The Swedish Postcode Foundation.

Youth advocates from Norway, Japan, Venezuela and Sweden shared about why they believe in the importance of criminalising ecocide, and what would change in their field of work if it became illegal to cause severe environmental harm.
They also expressed the main challenges for implementing ecocide law in their respective countries, and how Global North industrial activities impact Global South communities.

At the end, we opened the floor for other youth participants to take part in the discussion, inviting them to share about their dreams and visions for the future, and to imagine what a world without ecocide would look like.

This event was organised by Youth for Ecocide Law.
With support from Stop Ecocide International, Stop Ecocide Foundation, End Ecocide Sweden

Este evento se realizá en español con el fin de dar voz a los pueblos de América Latina, una vasta región del mundo en donde el ecocidio está presente en una variedad de formas y afecta directamente el modo de vida de la población y la supervivencia del mundo natural.

Modera: Mindahi Bastida
Participantes (en vivo): Patricia Gualinga, Dalia Marquez, Fernanda Poblete, Maite Mompó
Participantes (en vídeo): Marcelo Zaiduni, Francisco Vera, Rosa Darrigo. Y más voces desde la Amazonía.

Organizado por Stop Ecocidio
En colaboración con Olof Palme International Center, Planete Amazone, Lacemos y El Consejo del Águila y el Condor.

Stop Ecocide International organised a one to one deep dive ‘in conversation’ between journalist Katie Surma, InsideClimate News and founder of Planète Amazone, Gert-Peter Bruch.