Summary
On November 20 2025, a citizens’ initiative titled Hiljaisten oikeus — perusoikeudet kuuluvat myös luonnolle (“The Right of the Silent — Fundamental Rights Also Belong to Nature”) was launched in Finland to demand that rights of nature be enshrined in the Finnish Constitution. The proposed amendment is closely modeled on the rights of Pachamama enshrined in Ecuador’s 2008 Constitution, which asserts that nature has the right to existence, well-being, and holistic respect, as well as the right to maintain and regenerate life, structures, functions, and natural cycles, and that everyone is entitled to defend nature’s rights on its behalf.
Under Finland’s system of direct democracy, the initiative needs to gather 50,000 valid signatures within six months to advance to parliamentary consideration.
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/finalnd-constitutional-citizens-initiative-fundamental-rights-of-nature/.
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