EPL has started creation of the National platform of strategic litigation for protection of environmental rights. Since environmental rights are directly related to the basic human right – the right to life – it is vital to develop this direction within Ukrainian human rights protecting groups. The platform is created to facilitate exchange of experience, information and skills in handling strategic litigation for protection of the environment and environmental rights of people, increase professional level of participants in developing effective strategies of handling such cases, application of evidence and expert database, research results, building the database and exchange of jurisprudence, decisions of international organizations and institutions etc. Also, the platform will work on developing clear criteria of a strategic case, will enable more effective reaction to violations of environmental legislation and environmental rights of citizens nationwide, form and change policy, legislation and practice of authorities and business, implement European approaches and methods of legal work. To the platform we invite representatives of think tanks, civil society organizations that already work on legal protection of environmental rights as well as organizations including centers of pro bono legal aid, lawyers and attorneys, law firms and organizations of attorneys that are interested in human rights protection and protection of the environment.
Participants of the platform will have a possibility for personal communication, education and exchange of information. We will create an electronic litserve for members of the platform through which the coordinator of the platform will disseminate information, hold discussions of litigation strategies, disseminate publications and other materials, hold discussion of strategic jurisprudence for protection of environmental rights and rights of the environment with further publication of the results. The first coordination meeting is scheduled for October 2013.
The national platform is created within the project “Strategic litigation for protection of environmental human rights” funded by United Nations Development Program (UNDP).
For additional information please contact:
Olena Kravchenko,
Executive director of EPL
tel.: (032) 225 – 76 – 82
