Summary
On September 18, 2020, the Swiss association id·eau inaugurated the Appel du Rhône – a citizen initiative for the recognition of a legal personality for the aquatic ecosystem of the Rhône River from its glacier to its delta. The Rhône Appeal, halfway between a petition and a call for action, intends to encourage and support citizen mobilization around the granting of the river’s rights to exist, be preserved, regenerate, evolve, and maintain and guarantee its environment and biodiversity for future generations.
The association has implemented the Popular Assembly of the Rhône, a participatory and assembly-based transnational approach across the entire Rhône watershed. The Popular Assembly was organized into 5 sessions held in 5 cities in Switzerland and France from 2021–2024: Lyon, Geneva, Sablons, Arles, and Lausanne. The entire process was designed as an investigation, with each session following a logic of progression combining the contribution of knowledge (speakers), expert hearings, integration and production time, etc.
The Appel du Rhône (Rhône Appeal) intends the following:
→ To have the Rhône River recognized as a natural entity with a legal personality
→ To guarantee it this legal status in transnational law
→ Ensure a legal framework that will regulate human and industrial activity and enable it to protect itself against destructive activities, while promoting a circular and regenerative economy
→ Give everyone, individuals and communities concerned, the means to preventively ensure its preservation and anticipate any irreversible damage to the river and its ecosystems.
→ Create enforceable rights to defend this status effectively and compulsorily in the event of a breach of its integrity
→ Establish the primacy of water as a universal resource essential to our survival and that of future generations
Involved Organizations
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/citizens-initiative-on-the-rights-of-the-rhone-river/.
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