Marking the final day of IMPAC5 (the Fifth International Marine Protected Areas Congress in Vancouver, Canada from 3-9 February), Hon. Moustapha Saya (Cameroon), Member of the Committee on Constitutional laws, Human Rights and Freedoms, Justice, Legislation and Standing Orders, and Administration shares the importance of protecting the Oceans through Marine Protected Areas for the present and future generations.
In 2022, the UN General Assembly recognized a clean, healthy and sustainable environment as a universal human right (Resolution 76/300). Climate change, a threat multiplier, has placed already disenfranchised populations to bear the increasing cost of its impacts. Climate health is directly linked to the Oceans as they serve as a vital buffer against climate change, absorbing nearly one-quarter of carbon dioxide emissions and roughly 90 percent of the excess heat generated by greenhouse gas emissions.
Climate threats are adversely affecting both marine and land ecosystems and populations on the forefront. Human rights defenders on environmental matters are urgently mobilizing to protect this recently adopted universal human right. Protections for both human rights defenders on environmental matters, including for Oceans and land are more urgent now than ever before.
Through the Campaign to Mobilize Parliamentarians on Climate Action and the Campaign for the Protection of the Oceans and Implementation of Sustainable Development Goal 14, PGA Members champion these human rights protections and call for an end to impunity for crimes committed on and against the world’s oceans and their related human rights violations.
The Insights by Lawmakers on Human Rights and the Environment series (#InsightsByLawmakers) highlights ongoing efforts, national experiences, lessons learned and good practices implemented by parliamentarians to advance the goals of these Campaigns. In each episode, lawmakers from around the world share their insights, raising awareness and underlining the importance of taking action to protect our Ocean, our planet, and all human rights defenders on environmental matters.
