The stories of those suffering ecocide will be shown in The Hague
On December 4th, delegates attending the International Criminal Court (ICC) eighteenth session on the Assembly of State Parties will be given the opportunity to see what it’s like for communities losing their ecological support system. In an evening event, hosted by Stop Ecocide at the Museon in The Hague, 3 short films will feature the impacts of ecocide and the potential of one legal solution that is in their power to progress.
Jojo Mehta, co-founder of Stop Ecocide, said: I have a feeling that the conversation on ecocide is about to open up, this is the first time we’ve had the opportunity to present the possibility of establishing ecocide crime directly to delegates at the International Criminal Court conference. The evening event is an exceptional opportunity to gain an empathic insight into those communities already suffering ECOCIDE and to understand the potential of a simple legal solution with the power to reconnect humanity to the greater web of life, protecting future generations of all species including our own.
The legal solution proposed by Stop Ecocide – featured in the films – is to protect and prevent further harm to the natural living world, we depend on, by making the mass damage and destruction of the Earth illegal. Reinstating the missing law of ecocide at the International Criminal Court is the most effective way to bring about the political and economic shift we need to stop the harm. Ecocide should be the 5th crime against peace.
Around the venue, photography by Jimmy Nelson (known for his portraits of indigenous communities) will show the stories of ecocide victims. Through stunning motion-picture and moving narratives, the 3 films bring immediate attention to:
· The scale of the climate crisis, know in the Pacific as ‘Big Sun’
· The ripple effects caused by the protection and destruction of the Amazon Rainforest, and
· An extract of The Code featuring internationally renowned lawyers – who are united in their fight to end impunity for major environmental crimes and unanimous in their support to change international law.
Diplomats and parliamentary delegates attending the ICC conference, along with the public, are invited to attend this exclusive event titled ‘Harm to Harmony’ to understand how they can – and must – support making ecocide a crime.
The programme for the evening event and Stop Ecocide’s wider presence at the conference from 2 to 7 December is available here.
Films will be released at a later date for general viewing. Please keep an eye on our website for further details.
Notes to editors
The eighteenth session of the Assembly of States Parties (ASP) to the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court (ICC) is held at the World Forum Convention Centre in The Hague, The Netherlands, from 2 to 7 December 2019. The Rome Statue is the ICC’s governing document, it outlines the jurisdiction of the court to prosecute individuals for genocide, war crimes, crimes against humanity, and aggression. At the conference, States Parties to the Rome Statute, the Court's founding treaty, observer States, invited States, international and regional organizations and representatives from civil society will discuss key challenges facing the Statute.
The President of the Assembly of State Parties, H. E. O-Gon Kwon, said: "This year the Assembly faces key decisions on the way forward in view of the anticipated review of the Court, one that would ultimately strengthen the Court and enable it to successfully confront the challenges that it faces today, twenty-one years after adoption of the Rome Statute".
The Stop Ecocide full programme of events in The Hague is attached for reference. Further details on the films can be provided.
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About Stop Ecocide
Stop Ecocide campaigns to protect the Earth by making serious harm to nature a crime. It is an international public-facing campaign, managed by a UK non-profit (Ecological Defence Integrity Ltd), incorporated in 2017, for the purpose of supporting the establishment of an international law of ecocide.
Further legal and historical information can be found at www.ecocidelaw.com
Recent coverage:
BBC World Service (between 8.50-13.08 mins)