Summary
On April 21, 2023, Ursell Arends (Aruba’s minister of nature) submitted a draft law to amend the Constitution of Aruba to recognize the Rights of Nature. This bill aims to recognize and enshrine two fundamental, interrelated rights in the Constitution of Aruba: 1. the human right to a clean, healthy and sustainable environment; 2. the right of nature, both on land and in water, to the protection, conservation and restoration of its ecosystems and biodiversity, and to the regeneration of its life cycles, structure and functions.
A public consultation period ran from March 14, 2024 to April 21, 2024. The draft amendment must clear a series of reviews and consultations, and then be approved by two-thirds of Aruba’s Parliament. If lawmakers are successful, this would be the first time that Aruba has changed its constitution since Aruba became a self-governing country in 1986, and Aruba would become the world’s second country (after Ecuador) to constitutionally recognize the rights of nature.
Minister Ursell Arends worked closely with other governmental bodies, as well as the Global Alliance for the Rights of Nature (GARN), the U.S. based Earth Law Center, and advocacy and legal experts to prepare the amendment.
Suggested Citation:
Kauffman, Craig, Catherine Haas, Alex Putzer, Shrishtee Bajpai, Kelsey Leonard, Elizabeth Macpherson, Pamela Martin, Alessandro Pelizzon & Linda Sheehan. Eco Jurisprudence Monitor. V2. 2025. Distributed by the Eco Jurisprudence Monitor.https://ecojurisprudence.org/initiatives/aruba-constitutional-amendment-recognizing-the-rights-of-nature/.
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