Healthy Environment Europe

Time to address the elephant in the room… quite literally! 🐘

Today, the @councilofeurope's Steering Committee on the Environment (CDENV) meets in Strasbourg to discuss how the Council is implementing its strategy on advancing human rights and the environment.

But there is one HUGE piece of the puzzle missing: finally starting negotiations on a binding treaty on the right to a healthy environment for the European continent.

A binding treaty will deliver on the essence of the Council’s strategy as well as the political agreement that its Heads of States reached back in 2023 in Reykjavik.

Dumbo is not alone. Over the past months, many key international human rights experts and mandate holders urged the Council’s Member States to begin negotiations of a standalone convention, including Commissioner for Human Rights, @petrabayr, @alain.berset and @forst.michel.

Most recently, just ahead of CDENV, UN Special Rapporteurs @srhealthyenvironment, Bethanie Carney Almroth, Elisa Morgera, and Pedro Arrojo urged once more the Council of Europe to expressly protect the right through a treaty: https://www.ohchr.org/sites/default/files/documents/issues/environment/srenvironment/activities/2026-10-12-letter-sr-environment-other-experts-coe-2.pdf

Our Campaign’s new mascot 🐘 does not want to wait three more years to protect the rights of 700 million people across Europe. Neither should Member States!

#HealthyEnvironmentForAll #TheTimeIsNow #ActOnTheEnvironment #CoE #CDENV