On November 6th, Human Rights Now joined 29 other NGOs and experts in signing a joint statement urging international community to address the environment war to protect civilians.
The damage armed conflicts bring to ecosystems and natural resources also poses immediate harm to civilians’ health and hinders any process of reconstruction or peacebuilding.
There have been signs of governments beginning to consider the environmental consequences of conflicts and also a more proactive move in the United Nations’ International Law Commission being tasked to review legal protection for the matter.
However, the progress still needs to be accelerated, and in this statement five priorities are highlighted for the international community. These priorities are set for the purpose of minimizing harm to people and the environment they are in.
The full statement can be found here.