One of the UN’s principal bodies, the General Assembly, recognized the right to a clean, healthy and sustainable environment for all!   

On the 28th of July, the UN General Assembly adopted a historic resolution recognising that everyone, everywhere, has a human right to live in a clean, healthy and sustainable environment.

Child Rights Connect welcomes this recognition! The universal recognition of the right to a healthy environment marks an enormous milestone! Recognising this right by the UN General Assembly will significantly impact present and future generations.

“The recognition of the right to a healthy environment should lead to constitutional and legislative improvements at the regional, national, and sub-national levels, with positive implications for air quality, safe and sufficient water, healthy soil, sustainably produced food, green energy, climate change, biodiversity and the regulation of toxic substances,” said the UN Special Rapporteur on human rights and the environment, David R. Boyd. 

For a long time, numerous civil society organizations, States, children and young people and many other actors have been campaigning for this recognition at the UN level! Last year, during the Human Rights Council, Child Rights Connect and our members had been very actively advocating for the recognition of this right by the Human Rights Council! In the end, the efforts were proven successful with the adoption of the Human Rights Council’s resolution 48/13. Now, the recognition by the UN General Assembly is another big step forward! 

We call on States to take the necessary measures to make this right a reality by incorporating it into the constitutions and legislations at regional, national and sub-national levels or strengthening existing provisions. It is urgently needed accelerated and ambitious actions to realise this fundamental human right for every person.  

We will continue to disseminate and promote the implementation of this right, together with our Working Group on Children’s Rights and the Environment. 

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