Deputy Human Rights Ombudsman, Dr Dijana Možina Zupanc, took part in the regional conference on the environment and human rights between 19 and 21 November 2024 in Skopje. The event was organised by the Office of the Ombudsman of the Republic of North Macedonia, UNDP (United Nations Development Programme), the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR), and the Global Network of National Human Rights Institutions (GANHRI).
The conference is a continuation of the commitment made in Ljubljana in 2017, when the Ombudsmen of Southeast Europe signed the Declaration on Cooperation for the Environment and Human Rights. The goal of the declaration is to strengthen cooperation and improve efficiency in environmental protection in the region.
At the conference, which took place under the title Enhancing the Role of the Ombudsman in Environmental Justice, Dr Možina Zupanc participated in the discussion on improving mechanisms for environmental protection and responding to global challenges such as climate change. In addition to presenting the challenges in the field of protection of the right to a healthy and clean environment in Slovenia, she encouraged the representatives of the countries to cooperate even more closely with ombudsmen and, on behalf of the institution of the Ombudsman, confirmed the commitment to further cooperation in the field of environmental protection.
The participants discussed the development of common strategies to combat climate change, the creation of tools for monitoring the realisation of human rights in the field of the environment, and exchanged good practices and experiences. They agreed that cooperation and joint strategies are crucial, as the effects of climate change are global and require a multidisciplinary approach and local implementation. Environmental challenges, such as increasingly frequent extreme weather events and other negative impacts of climate change, do not know national borders.
At the end of the conference, Dr Možina Zupanc emphasised: "The conference was an important forum for discussing the connection between human rights and environmental justice. The protection of the environment is inextricably linked to the protection of fundamental human rights, and the cooperation of ombudsmen at the regional and global level is crucial. The declaration should be our common compass in connecting environmental protection with the protection of human rights."