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Speech by Bjørn Berge, Deputy Secretary General of the Council of Europe

Mayor of Strasbourg, Catherine Trautmann,

President of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe, Petra Bayr,

Sirpa Rautio, Director of the European Union Agency for Fundamental Rights,

Patricia Heidegger, Deputy Secretary General, Environmental European Bureau,

Karin Kvarfordt Niia, Environmental Human Rights Defender,

Dear Friends,

A very good morning to all of you.

It is a historic occasion, and I am honored to be here.

Worldwide, three Environmental Human Rights Defenders are killed every week.

Killed, simply for acting on their belief.

A belief that our environment must be protected, because our environment, in all sorts of ways, is fundamental to us as human beings.

Our source of food, the foundation of our cultures, the very air we breathe.

However, such murders are rare in Europe.

But even here, environmental human rights defenders are facing increasing and unwarranted pressures.

That’s why we need to meet, discuss and see what we can do together to help improve the situation.

And I am delighted that we are hosting you here at the Council of Europe.

Our organisation plays a key role in protecting defenders.

And we are grateful to our co-organisers: the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, the European Union Agency for Fundamental Rights, and the Special Rapporteur on Environmental Defenders under the Aarhus Convention.

I thank you.

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I know you are here because you care for our world and a rule-based international order, and you believe it is worth saving.

You are here because you care about human rights, and you care about our environment.

You care, and you are prepared to act.

Because we need to fight, as in many parts of Europe, civic space is under threat.

Today, civil society’s ability to play its crucial part in society is being challenged, in much of Europe.

There are:

• Pressures on funding.
• Lawsuits designed to silence those who speak out.
• Clampdowns on protests, often in the name of “security”.
• Online campaigns against activists, often amplified by artificial intelligence.

And far too often, young people, in particular, are increasingly targeted and exposed.

Last year, a Global Witness survey showed that 92 per cent of environmental defenders experience online abuse or harassment. 92 per cent.

And in Europe, several governments have introduced measures criminalising protests and even redefining terrorism and organised crime.

What is worrying about this is that it enables the persecution and even imprisonment of even peaceful environmental protestors.

But basically, what we are seeing is that freedom of the press, freedom of association, freedom of assembly — these crucial freedoms are being tightened and undermined.

And when these fundamental rights crumble, so too do all our rights to protest, to protect and to have our say on the most profound aspects of our lives.

And by limiting these freedoms, it places further strain on democracy, human rights and the rule of law.

At the Reykjavik Summit three years ago, the leaders of Europe spoke as one, saying that, I quote: “civil society is a prerequisite for a functioning democracy”. End quote.

Protecting civil society is also a key component of the New Democratic Pact for Europe, that we are now developing.

In an effort to stop the backsliding of democracy – and to see how we can revitalise and strengthen our democracies.

Dear friends,

We are also determined to support the protection of our environment.

And the Reykjavik Declaration includes an appendix underlining, I quote:

“the urgency of taking co-ordinated action to protect the environment, by countering the impact of the triple planetary crisis of pollution, climate change and loss of biodiversity” – end of quote.

And in our overall Strategy on the Environment, 2025-2030, we emphasise the right to a clean and healthy environment.

And it highlights the links between human rights, democracy and environmental protection.

And if you look into the strategy, you will see that the third of its five main objectives is “to support and protect environmental human rights defenders, environmental defenders, and whistle-blowers”.

These are not just nice words, but a recognition that we need you.

We need to work together.

And that we need each other.

We also need to see to it that the existing legal frameworks are implemented.

And you need to help us make sure governments actually do that.

That governments actually do what they are supposed to do.

In Europe, these include the judgments of the European Court of Human Rights, which has built an extensive body of case law addressing environmental and climate-related harms; and it includes the conclusions and decisions of the European Committee of Social Rights and mechanisms under the Aarhus Convention.

Dear friends,

I believe this Forum comes at a critical moment, as we respond to the increasing risks faced by defenders in Europe.

Many of you have already spent a day sharing experiences and best practices.

Today’s sessions will further break silos and strengthen cooperation, as we focus on practical measures and implementation.

I hope very much that your discussions will produce actionable recommendations.

In that way, this forum will have an impact.

Again, thank you for all that you do.

Know that the Council of Europe is with you every step of the way.

I wish you all the best for this forum.