The Raoul Wallenberg Institute of Human Rights and Humanitarian Law (hereinafter “RWI”), Lund, Sweden, in collaboration with its academic cooperation partners under the Zimbabwe Human Rights Capacity Development Programme 2024-2026 (see enclosed Programme summary below), is launching a call (hereinafter “Call”) for research grants proposals. Grants under the Call are awarded to research projects relevant to the theme “Environment, Climate Change and Human Rights in Zimbabwe”. Academic faculty members and researchers from Zimbabwean universities, independent research centres, independent commissions, and civil society organisations are eligible to apply both individually and jointly. Research projects must be carried out during the period 16 July – 20 November 2024 and result in a paper and short policy brief for presentation and publication. Financial support to RWI for the research grants is provided by the Embassy of Sweden in Zimbabwe.
The closing date for submitting a research grant proposal is 8 July 2024.
Human survival depends on the environment for direct and indirect well-being. As such, threats to the environment are threats to human rights, to peace, security and sustainable development. The multiple planetary crises of this age which are made manifest through, inter alia, environmental degradation, biodiversity loss, pollution, and climate change threaten human survival. This is exacerbated by growing multidimensional poverty, inequalities, and fragility (UNDP, 2022). Thus, realizing the right to a clean, healthy, and sustainable environment, including through strengthening positive environmental management and climate action is critical for addressing inequality and poverty, and enabling long-term prosperity for all (UNEP, 2022; UNDP, 2022).
The recognition in 2022, of the human right to a clean, healthy, and sustainable environment by the United Nations General Assembly is a step towards strengthening the global and domestic response to this crisis. This move buttresses the recognition of this right in domestic constitutions in many jurisdictions across the globe. Zimbabwe recognises this right in section 73 of the Constitution (Amendment 20) of 2013. Through this constitutional provision environmental protection (including climate action) has become a key consideration for the country’s ambitions to become a middle-income economy by 2030. Yet, there is still much to be done to strengthen legal and institutional frameworks on human rights, environmental law, and climate change.
To read more, download the attached document:
2024-Call-for-Research-Grant-Proposals-Environment-Climate-Change-and-Human-Rights_.pdf