Abstract
Even as the storms are gathering for the “planetary level crisis” (Green Diplomacy; January 02, 2025) 1 as well as accentuated misery and grave risks faced by 2 billion people 2 trapped in the global wars and armed conflicts 3 (61 state based, 74 non-state and one-sided; PRIO 2025), 4 the plenary organ of the United Nations (UN), the General Assembly (GA) adopted a futuristic resolution 79 (321) on July 25, 2025 5 for attaining a “culture of peace”. It has been defined as “a set of values, attitudes, traditions and modes of behaviour and ways of life” (UNGA Declaration; resolution 53/243 of September 13, 1999). 6 It alludes to the shared future for the humankind and the spirit of the call to rally around the theme: “One Earth, One Home, One Future” (SCO Tianjin Declaration; September 01, 2025). 7
The UN Secretary-General has, in one of his last addresses (August 01, 2025) 8 to the 79th UNGA spelled out an ambitious “UN80 Initiative” on the 80th anniversary of the UN. Significantly, the UNGA resolution (resolution 79 (321) on July 25, 2025) 9 falls back on the dedicatory line in the preamble to the 1945 UN Charter 10 (“to save succeeding generations from the scourge of war”) as well as the 1945 UNESCO Constitution 11 (“since wars begin in the minds of men, it is in the minds of men that the defences of peace must be constructed”). The resolution has explicitly recalled the United Nations Millennium Declaration (UNGA resolution 55 (2) of September 8, 2000) 12 and the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development (UNGA resolution 70 (1) of September 25, 2015). 13 These references matter most at this critical juncture since all the conflict zones, natural disasters and other contingencies have severely impacted the human progress, attainment of peace and realisation of the goals laid down in the Millennium Development Goals (2000–2015) and the Sustainable Development Goals (2015–2030).
The quest for just and lasting peace for the protection of the planet as well as present and future generations is premised upon strengthening of “universal peace” and “living together in peace” (UNGA 79/270 of March 04, 2025), 14 regarded as prerequisites for the needs of the present and future generations. It is no less significant that the political organ of the UN seeks to keep the humankind rooted to the ground (resolution 79/315 of June 30, 2025) 15 so as to embody “a unity of values and ways of life grounded in respect for life.” The year 2025 has become momentous (UNGA resolution 79/318 of July 18, 2025) 16 as the UN Charter attains 80 years of its entry into force on October 24, 2025. As a result, there are high expectations from the 193 UN member states for walking-the-talk at the 80th UNGA session commencing on September 09, 2025, when Annalena Baerbock (Germany) 17 will assume Presidency with a theme: “Better Together: 80 years and more for peace, development and human rights”.
It is in the above backdrop that the EPL has embarked upon an ideational trajectory comprising solutions for global environmental problems at this critical juncture of perplexity. This issue of the EPL contains five contributions: (1) Seeking Climate Justice in the European Court of Human Rights: Reflections on the Duarte Agostinho Case (Natale Seron); (2) Environmentally Significant Administrative Decisions: A Comparative Study of Domestic and International Legal Constraints (Ahmed Attia); (3) Empowerment of Environmental Citizenship: A Case of Law Clinics (Zerrin Savasan); (4) Realisation of the Right to Environment Protection as a Fundamental Right in the US: Some Reflections (Hernando Diaz-Candia); and (5) Balancing Utilitarianism with Access to Environmental Justice: An Indonesian Case Study (Achmad Irwan Hamzani). Each of these articles addresses thematic issues such as climate justice, administrative decisions significant from environmentally significant, environmental citizenship, right to environmental protection and access to environmental justice amidst utilitarianism. Though they focus on specific country studies or regional context, yet their relevance transcends across boundaries. Hence, they become exemplars that could be replicable anywhere in the world.
The above mentioned scholarly offerings enable the EPL to contribute to the global knowledge pool. We do hope and trust that they would help in moulding “values, attitudes, traditions and modes of behaviour and ways of life” for protection of the global environment and, in turn, for the realization of “a culture of peace”.