“Local and regional elected representatives are in a unique position to tackle climate emergency and promote sustainable development by shaping policy to fit local needs,” stated Harald Bergmann (Netherlands, ILDG), Congress spokesperson on Human Rights and Mayor of Middelburg, at the High-level Conference on Environmental Protection and Human Rights on 27 February 2020 in Strasbourg, France. The conference was organised under the aegis of the Georgian Chairmanship of the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe.
Speaking at the session on “The role of elected representatives and civil society”, Mr. Bergmann explained that localising Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) is necessary not only because it allows to “develop local strategies to achieve global goals” but also because it is in the cities, town and villages where people live that change can take place.
“Environmental protection is a part of good governance, and everyone has a role to play in it: alongside the actions carried out by local and regional authorities, we need an active engagement from civil society,” underlined the thematic spokesperson. “Localising SDGs allows to empower citizens and to receive in return more concrete indications of what we need to do to be truly sustainable,” he added.
“Good governance, environmental protection and human rights are linked by a relationship of interdependence: a safe, clean and healthy environment is essential for the enjoyment of human rights, and the exercise of human rights is vital to the protection of the environment,” concluded Mr. Bergmann, praising the Georgian authorities’ initiative to place the environmental challenge at the heart of their Chairmanship.
