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Javor, Benedek --- "Institutional protection of succeeding generations - Ombudsman for Future Generations in Hungary" [2006] ELECD 491; in Tremmel, Chet Joerg (ed), "Handbook of Intergenerational Justice" (Edward Elgar Publishing, 2006)

Book Title: Handbook of Intergenerational Justice

Editor(s): Tremmel, Chet Joerg

Publisher: Edward Elgar Publishing

ISBN (hard cover): 9781845429003

Section: Chapter 14

Section Title: Institutional protection of succeeding generations - Ombudsman for Future Generations in Hungary

Author(s): Javor, Benedek

Extract:

14 Institutional protection of succeeding
generations ­ Ombudsman for Future
Generations in Hungary
Benedek Jávor


The existence of our moral obligations towards future generations may be
approached in several ways. The moral responsibility to provide coming
generations with the conditions for life can be justified through the broad-
ening interpretation of general human rights, through the general compre-
hension of democratic principles, by the concept of the common heritage
of human kind or by relying on Rawls's theory of justice. This responsibil-
ity, however, will only become reality if we are able to convert it into real
actions. One inevitable step for achieving this is to build the protection of
the interests of the future generations into our current decision making
mechanisms institutionally. The coming generations do not presently
exist, therefore their interests cannot be represented by today's models of
interest vindication that are based on the active participation (realized
through some kind of mechanisms) of the concerned groups. However,
there are special legal institutions which can ensure the representation of
the interests of those groups with no or very low capability to vindicate
their interests. One of these is the institution of the Ombudsman which,
owing to its peculiarities, can surmount the legitimacy problems relating to
the representation of the future generations.
In Spring 2000 the Hungarian association Protect the Future! initiated
the establishment of such an institution, the office of the `Ombudsman of
Future Generations' in Hungary. The proposal that was presented by
Protect the Future! ...