On 9 April 2024, the Grand Chamber of the European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR) will deliver its ruling in the case Verein KlimaSeniorinnen Schweiz and Others v. Switzerland (application no. 53600/20). The ruling will be delivered orally in Strasbourg. At the same hearing, the ECtHR will also announce the rulings in the other two climate cases Duarte Agostinho and Others v. Portugal and 32 Other States (no. 39371/20) and Carême v. France (no. 7189/21). Over 100 Senior Women will travel to Strasbourg for the pronouncement of the ruling. In the run-up to the hearing, the Senior Women and their legal team are inviting interested journalists to a media briefing.
The Swiss Senior Women for Climate Protection and the four individual applicants are taking their case to the European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR) because Switzerland is pursuing an inadequate climate policy and thus violating their human rights. On 29 March 2023, their case was the first climate action ever to be heard in public before the Grand Chamber of the ECtHR.
Just over a year later, the ruling will now be delivered: On 9 April 2024 at 10:30 a.m., the Grand Chamber of the ECtHR will announce its ruling at the court building in Strasbourg. Over 100 members of the KlimaSeniorinnen association and individual applicants want to attend the delivery of the ruling in person and are travelling to Strasbourg to do so.
The rulings in the other two climate cases pending before the Grand Chamber of the ECtHR, Duarte Agostinho and Others v. Portugal and 32 Other States (no. 39371/20) and Carême v. France (no. 7189/21), will also be delivered at the same hearing.
It is expected that the Grand Chamber of the ECtHR will use these three cases to develop principles on the question of whether and to what extent states with an inadequate climate policy violate their duty to protect human rights. According to the former UN Commissioner for Human Rights, Michelle Bachelet, accelerating global warming poses «a threat to human rights the likes of which the world has never seen before» (quote from the statement as a third party). Due to their precedent-setting effect, the ruling of the ECtHR will have an impact far beyond individual national borders and, in particular, beyond Switzerland.
A victory for the Swiss Senior Women and the individual applicants would therefore not only be an important victory for older women in Switzerland. It would be a victory for all generations. Across Europe. Switzerland and all Council of Europe states would have to review and, if necessary, strengthen their climate policy on the basis of the principles developed by the ECtHR in order to safeguard human rights. This would benefit everyone – young and old.
All relevant documents relating to the Swiss climate case are available on the Swiss Seniors’ website.
Accreditation for media representatives at the ECtHR
If you have any questions regarding participation in the delivery of the judgment, please contact the ECtHR Press Service directly.
Media briefing on the Swiss climate complaint at the ECtHR
On 3 April, the Swiss Senior Women for Climate Protection, its legal team and Greenpeace Switzerland invite you to a media briefing. The background discussion will take place online and will be held in German and French; questions can also be answered in English and Italian. We will go into the most important points regarding a possible judgment. We will also provide organisational details about the Senior Women’s journey to Strasbourg and the day of the ruling.
Date and time:
Wednesday, 3 April 2024, 10:00 to 11:00 a.m.
Place:
We will meet online on Zoom: https://greenpeace.zoom.us/j/99659783849?pwd=dXVnRVZaV28wb0J6SFlKMk9oV2VTdz09
Meeting ID: 996 5978 3849
Identification code: 606598
Please confirm your participation by e-mail or phone to [email protected] or 079 306 53 42.
Contacts
Press office Greenpeace Switzerland, +41 44 447 41 11, [email protected]
Cordelia Bähr, Lawyer of Senior Women for Climate Protection Switzerland: [email protected], +41 78 801 70 34
Rosmarie Wydler-Wälti, co-president of Senior Women for Climate Protection Switzerland: [email protected], +41 61 302 96 35 (for interviews in German)
Anne Mahrer, co-president of Senior Women for Climate Protection Switzerland: [email protected], +41 79 249 72 17 (for interviews in French)
Elisabeth Stern, member of the board of Senior Women for Climate Protection Switzerland: [email protected], +41 79 351 22 00
Pia Hollenstein, member of the board of Senior Women for Climate Protection Switzerland: [email protected], +41 79 740 04 50
Norma Bargetzi, member of the board of Senior Women for Climate Protection Switzerland: [email protected], +41 79 352 98 89 (for interviews in Italian)
Georg Klingler, Project Coordinator and Climate Campaigner Greenpeace Switzerland: [email protected], +41 79 785 07 38