The Embassy of the North Sea will organise a Moot (or practice) court on 6 October in the Peace Palace in The Hague. The event is an opportunity to examine how non-human voices can be heard in a courtroom. We will focus on the statements and testimonies of non-humans and ask ourselves what form these contributions can take.
Effective representation
During the experiment, the North Sea will request the Dutch government to grant it a declaration of right. The North Sea no longer wishes to be treated as an object bound by the decisions of others, but rather to relate to the Dutch state as an independent entity. Human and non-human witnesses will be called to speak on behalf of various facets of the North Sea. They will argue that the North Sea is ineffectively represented within existing laws and regulations.
Rights of Nature
This practice court is inspired by worldwide developments relating to the Rights for Nature, which now counts some four hundred legal and political cases around the globe. To learn about this movement, read the Compendium Rights of Nature here. The Spanish parliament, for example, recently passed a law that makes the highly polluted Spanish lagoon Mar Menor a legal entity: a first in Europe.
— With: mr. Thomas Rammelt, mr. dr. Laura Burgers, and Isabella Brand, lawyer and judge;
— Editorial team: Embassy of the North Sea / Christiane Bosman, Harpo ‘t Hart, Thijs Middeldorp, Carolijn Terwindt & Laura Burgers
— Contributions by: Ziega van den Berk, Xandra van der Eijk, Maarten Kleinhans, Darko Lagunas & Thijs de Zeeuw;
— Production: Giulia de Jong & Luca Naus
Thanks to: Vriendenloterij en Brave New Works
INFO & tickets
Thursday 6 October, 15.00 – 17.00
Language: Dutch spoken / English hand-out
Location: Auditorium Vredespaleis
Carnegieplein 2, The Hague
Unfortunately this event is sold out. If you would like to be on the waiting list, please email us at: info@ambassadevandenoordzee.nl
Photo: Carnegie Foundation – Peace Palace