The Forum is jointly organized by the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR), the Council of Europe, the European Union Agency for Fundamental Rights (FRA), and the Special Rapporteur on Environmental Defenders under the Aarhus Convention.
The Forum will not be limited only to those who define themselves as “environmental human rights defenders”; it is designed as a process shaped by the participation of various activists working in this field.
The Forum, which will be the first of its kind in the region, will enable defenders to connect with one another, develop common strategies, and establish direct contact with policymakers, the United Nations (UN), and regional mechanisms.
The goals of the first forum
With the first gathering of the Forum, the aim is to strengthen existing protection mechanisms for environmental human rights defenders in the 46 member states of the Council of Europe. In this scope:
- The effectiveness, accessibility, and inclusiveness of existing mechanisms will be evaluated,
- Awareness of available protection tools will be increased,
- Targeted capacity-building activities will be carried out,
- Gender-sensitive, intersectional, and intergenerational approaches will be strengthened.
Participation and program
Approximately 400 participants are expected to attend the first edition of the Forum. The event will last two days:
- Day 1: A safe space for discussion open only to environmental human rights defenders
- Day 2: Sessions open to policymakers, Council of Europe member states, equality bodies networks (Equinet), the network of national human rights institutions (ENNHRI), academia, and the broader civil society
Environmental defenders and those working in this field from the 46 Council of Europe member states can pre-register to attend the forum through the application form. Applications can be submitted until May 10, 2026 at the latest.
For more detailed information: https://www.coe.int/en/web/reykjavik-process-and-the-environment/-/1st-european-forum-on-environmental-human-rights-defenders-ehrds-