On 30 September, the General Representation of the Government of Flanders to the Council of Europe organised an event on Climate and Human Rights in Strasbourg on the occasion of “70 years of the Council of Europe”.
The Flemish laureate Freya Moonen, who participated in the essay competition of the Council of Europe in May, had the opportunity to explain her essay “A climate of Lawlessness” and to enter into a debate about her essay. “We borrow the world, to give it back in the same conditions afterwards; this is our obligation," stressed Freya Moonen. Representatives from different institutions of the Council of Europe, such as the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR), the Parliamentary Assembly (PACE) and the Secretariat, explained how the right to a healthy environment can be guaranteed and what the Council Europe can do to take resolute climate policy action.
The evening started at the European Youth Center with an introduction by Mr. Paul Lemmens, judge at the European Court of Human Rights. Lemmens stated that the case-law of the Court has considered the impact of environmental problems on the fundamental rights of citizens, even though the right to a healthy, sustainable environment is not recognized as a human right. Subsequently, the short film "A wrong future" by the Flemish director Michaël R. Roskam was shown.
The film was followed by a panel discussion with Mrs. Iva Obregenova, secretary of the Bern Convention, who explained how this 40-year-old treaty provides a monitoring tool to protect our ecosystem, and with Mr. Fourat Ben Chicka, member of PACE, who called politicians to stand on the right side of history. The debate was moderated by Kris Dierckx, General Representative of the Government of Flanders at the Council of Europe and essay winner Freya.
In honor of its 70th anniversary, the Council of Europe organized an essay competition in May in which young people were challenged to think about the opportunities and challenges for Europe’s future. From different Flemish essays, the essay of Freya Moonen was chosen. In her essay, she argues for the right to a liveable world as the foundation of all human rights. Together with other national laureates, she received her prize during the official ceremony at the Strasbourg Opera.