On the occasion of 16 November, the International Tolerance Day, the Association for Social Innovation and Sustainable Development RADAR, Journalists for Human Rights, the First Children’s Embassy Megjashi and the Green Institute,

Call on the citizens of the Republic of Macedonia to sign the petition ZERO TOLERANCE FOR (AERO) POLLUTION AND LIFE ENDANGERMENT.

The Republic of Macedonia, as a signatory of all international human rights protection documents, has an obligation to respect, protect and promote the conditions for the realization of human rights. This obligation requires the state to undertake appropriate legal, administrative, budgetary, judicial and other measures in the direction of the full realization of human rights. In that direction, we call upon the state to fulfill the obligations regarding respecting the fundamental right, THE RIGHT OF LIFE, introducing measures for the reduction of pollution that directly affect the health of people and their lives.

Proposed urgent measures should be introduced IMMEDIATELY without excuse that there are no funds or transferring responsibility between the institutions. The state is a guarantor of human rights and in that direction should organize the appropriate institutions for the implementation of the following emergency measures that are safe for the people:

  • Urgent treatment of fuels with organic catalytic converters (pre / post combustion technologies), at the expense of the state, and especially for public transport vehicles
  • Activation of dust extraction scales, especially around construction sites
  • Free city bus service EVERY day in the next three months
  • Subsidizing the intercity bus service from / to Skopje for reducing the number of vehicles entering Skopje within the next three months
  • Fully subsidize the bus transport to Kumanovo and Tetovo, which together with Skopje fall into the group of the most polluted cities, over the next three months
  • Introducing 24-hour enhanced inspection supervision with the help of environmental inspectors from other cities in Macedonia
  • Equipping the inspection services with appropriate measuring equipment
  • Inclusion of the civil sector in the control of the work of the institutions that work on the problem (air pollution) through the establishment of an independent monitoring system that will ensure transparency and participativeness in determining the priorities
  • Emergency detection of pollutants and their public disclosure

 

If we introduce measures for treating fuels, free or subsidized public transport, we also call the taxi companies to increase the price by 50% in the next three months as a measure for encouraging citizens to use public transport.

 

The Prime Minister, the Ministers, the Members of Parliament, the Mayors and the Councilors, because they do not fulfill their obligation to provide conditions and environment for the realization of the right to life, should form a FUND for assistance and treatment of children from diseases caused by pollution by donating a part of their salary, which is the fee due to non-performimg the work tasks, in the amount of 10-50% depending on the amount of income.

If the Government, the Ministry of Environment, the City of Skopje and the municipalities do not start IMMEDIATELY by applying the proposed emergency measures for which they do not need additional preparation, within a week or until the 23 November 2018, they do not come with SPECIFIC and EFFECTIVE MEASURES, with help of the citizens who have knowledge about the problem, we will use all available international mechanisms, to remind the state that due to the lack of action and non-compliance with the air pollution threatens the fundamental right of life.

We call on all representatives of the international community who came to give us support for the referendum, to visit us again and give us support in the struggle for life and solving the air pollution problem in Republic of Macedonia.

A copy of this petition will be sent to all international organizations working both in the field of human rights and in the field of the environment.

Signatures will be collected from 16-18.11.2018, and on 18.11.2018 we will hold a press conference in the premises of Hotel Karposh at 10:30.

We use this opportunity PUBLICLY to invite the Government, the Ministry of Environment, the City of Skopje and representatives of all municipalities to join us at the press conference to hand over copies of the signed petition and proposed measures for systematic resolution of the problem.

 

ZERO TOLERANCE FOR (AERO) POLLUTION AND LOSS OF THE RIGHT TO LIFE

The petition can be signed HERE.