Drop terror charges against official: UN Environment head

Nairobi  :  UN Environment head Erik Solheim on Thursday expressed concern over terror accusations against UN Special Rapporteur on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples Victoria Tauli-Corpuz and others in the Philippines and demanded these be dropped.

The legal petition filed by the Philippines government alleges that those listed should be declared as terrorists.

"These charges must be dropped immediately, and support provided for the legitimate activities of these individuals who have UN mandate, and civil society organisations with which they work," a statement quoting Solheim said.

"The UN Environment has a long-standing relationship with Tauli-Corpuz and Joan Carling (Focal Person for Indigenous Peoples Major Group for Sustainable Development) in line with its mandate as a leading global environmental authority, and its normative framework on international human rights standards."

"It's deeply concerning that authorities have routinely responded to the expressions of environmental and human rights defenders by criminalising and delegitimising their voices," he said.

The UN Environment has developed a policy on promoting greater protection for environmental defenders which recognises and relies on the critical work of the UN Special Procedures and civil society actors, Solheim said.

The policy is grounded in international environmental law, including in relevant UN instruments and resolutions. UN Environment also emphasises the important role those named can play in implementation and effective policy-making. 

It is on this basis that UN Environment is calling for these allegations to be dropped, and the safety of those named in the legal petition be assured, he added.