Omission Of Environmental Protection In The United Nations’ Responsibility To Protect (R2P) Normative Framework
Olawari D. J. Egbe, Fie David Dan-Woniowei
Keywords: Environment, high politics, environmental justice, R2P, United Nations
Abstract
The Responsibility to Protect (R2P) has emerged as a normative framework in international relations, aimed at preventing and responding to egregious human rights violations such as genocide and crimes against humanity. It permits the provisional suspension of state sovereignty in cases where governments are either complicit in or incapable of halting mass atrocities. While widely endorsed by the international community as a humanitarian safeguard, R2P largely overlooks environmental concerns. This paper critically examines the omission of environmental protection within the normative and practical implications of extending its mandate to encompass environmental harms. Drawing on various case studies and international legal system, the paper reveals significant support for integrating environmental considerations into the R2P framework. Notably, the paper highlights the United Nation’s inconsistent response to environmental injustices, particularly to indigenous populations and ecosystems in oil-exporting states of the global South. The paper argues that despite the proliferation of environmental treaties and declarations, the inaction of the UN in protecting indigenous populations suggests a contradictory posture. Hence, the paper concludes by advocating for the repositioning of environmental protection within the domain of high politics and recommends its formal inclusion under the enforceable provision of the R2P.
Author Biography
Olawari D. J. Egbe
Department of Political Science, Niger Delta University, Wilberforce Island, Bayelsa State, Nigeria
Email: [email protected]
Fie David Dan-Woniowei
Department of Political Science, Niger Delta University, Wilberforce Island, Bayelsa State, Nigeria