8 October 2024, UN House, 7th floor conference room

Closing remarks by Elena Kountouri Tapiero, Acting Regional Representative,

OHCHR Regional Office for Europe, Brussels

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Let me begin by thanking all participants for a very rich and lively exchange.

As mentioned in the opening, this meeting is one step in our organisations’ joint reflections on, and efforts to, better supporting and protecting environmental Human Rights Defenders in wider Europe region.

In consultation with partnering organizations, we will review the key takeaways of today’s discussions and come up with suggested follow-up actions and next steps, including on the initiative of a European Forum for environmental Human Rights Defenders, and how to take it forward.

I already noted down 3 key takeaways based on what I could hear today (apologies for having to attend part of the meeting online) , which should guide our joint reflections on how to jointly step up action to better support and protect environmental Human Rights Defenders: