On August 25, the "Environmental Rights and Civic Participation Forum" was held by the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) to raise public awareness of the importance of environmental rights and environmentally sustainable development, and to boost public understanding of the trends in environmental decision-making and civic participation. Taiwan looks forward to developing its environmental rights to fulfill the spirit of the Aarhus Convention. The NHRC calls for joint efforts from government agencies, industries, environmental protection organizations, experts, academics, and members of the public to promote environmental rights.
While Taiwan has been making progress toward energy transformation and better environmental governance in recent years, the growing complexity of environmental decision-making scenarios requires complementary refinements to the environmental rights systems and the promotion of related concepts. Conversely, the mechanisms for participation in environmental decision-making are not fully developed yet. There is also a lack of familiarity with international environmental human rights conventions that may help to resolve disputes during decision-making. As a consequence, disputes between the government, environmental groups, industries, and the general public frequently occur, which in turn, hinders the protection of environmental rights. In organizing this Forum, the NHRC hopes that the information and knowledge gained from the stakeholders who took part in the professional discourse can become a source of reference for promoting environmental rights and policies in the future.
The forum was chaired successively by former NHRC Vice Chairperson Jao Yung-ching, NHRC Commissioner Tien Chiu-chin, and NHRC Commissioner Kao Yung-cheng. Speakers included Mr. Jonas Ebbesson (former Chair of Aarhus Convention Compliance Committee, United Nations Economic Commission of Europe), Mr. Tseng Wen-sheng (Deputy Minister of Economic Affairs), Mr. Tu Wen-ling (Dean of International College of Innovation, National Chengchi University), Mr. Lin Tze-luen (Deputy Executive Director, Office of Energy and Carbon Reduction, Executive Yuan), Mr. Chan Shun-kuei (Attorney and Vice Director of Taiwan Bar Association), Ms. Fu Ling-ching (Associate Professor, College of Law, National Chengchi University), Mr. Chang Wen-chen (Professor, College of Law, National Taiwan University), Mr. Lin Chun-yuan (Associate Professor, Department of Financial and Economic Law, Chung Yuan Christian University), and Mr. Shih Keh-her (Deputy Minister, National Development Council).
In her speech, NHRC Chairperson Chen Chu noted that "access to a clean, healthy, and sustainable environment as a universal human right" was recognized by the UN Human Rights Council. Procedural rights such as "access to information, public participation in environment-related decision making, and effective access to judicial and administrative proceedings, including redress and remedy" are also critical to the enforcement of environmental human rights. The NHRC anticipates that joint cooperation and efforts from everyone involved will empower Taiwan to continue evolving into an ecologically sustainable nation founded on human rights.
Mr. Jonas Ebbesson, former Chair of Aarhus Convention Compliance Committee, United Nations Economic Commission of Europe, said at the Forum that the right to participate in environmental matters as emphasized in the Aarhus Convention can enhance public oversight and transparency of environmental decision-making, strengthen the appropriateness, impartiality, and fairness of environmental decision-making, and promote public trust in government agencies and effectively promote the implementation of environmental policies.
NHRC Chairperson Chen Chu also said that human rights protection is not limited to physical liberty. It also includes the right to live in a favorable environment that you have control over. Chen thanked people from all parts of society for their longstanding support of environmental protection topics and said that the improvement of environmental rights represented an important milestone in human rights development for Taiwan. With everyone's joint efforts, Chen hopes that Taiwan can move closer to becoming a nation founded on human rights.