The General Comment No. 26 for the UN Convention on the Rights of Children
It is a milestone for children's rights, environmental and climate protection: In the summer of 2023, the United Nations Committee said goodbye to the child's rights to the child's rights. 26 «(German:» General remark No. 26 «). He officially clarifies: Every child has the right to grow up in a clean, healthy and sustainable environment.
The basis is the UN Convention on the Rights of Children. 196 states have ratified, transferred to national law and thus known for fundamental rights of every child - for example, the right to health; to an appropriate standard of living; And on life, survival and development.
Now it is clear: when it comes to these children's rights, states may no longer ignore the consequences of their actions to the climate and the environment. You have to act much more determined to limit global warming, to stop species death and to contain environmental pollution.
New standards for children's and youth participation
Terre des Hommes has been fighting for a healthy environment for children's rights for more than ten years. In recognition of these expertise, our organization was commissioned as an official partner of the Children's Rights Committee to collect essential content for General Comment-and to organize one of the greatest children's participation processes to date in the history of the United Nations.
The document is the result of one and a half years of consultations, in which a total of 16,331 children and adolescents from 121 countries brought their demands. In addition to experts for environmental and children's rights, a "Children's Advisory Team"- Zwöf children and young people from twelve countries- worked closely with the entire process.
»The General Comment combines the environment and children's rights. We are at a point where we have to ask ourselves what the future of our planet will look like. He is the hand we hold, the branch we are sitting on and the key to our future. For us children, this future is practically our entire life. Let's act now - not only tomorrow! -, to defend the rights of the children! "
Kartik, 17, Child Advisor from India
About the General Comment No. 26
Each General Comment on the UN Convention on the Rights of Children is an official legal assessment that specifies what the content of the convention means for a specific topic. The now published »General Comment No. 26 On Children's Rights and the Environment with a Special Focus on Climate Change «expressly addresses the impending climate catastrophe, the extinction of species and the continuing pollution. Against this background, the document names necessary countermeasures to protect life and the life perspectives of children.
- The international community must act quickly and determined. States must enact laws to protect the environment. And you have to ensure that these laws are also complied with.
- Rights also have rights: States are not only responsible for stopping current child rights violations, but also for preventing future legal violations due to their current action - or non -action.
- States can not only be held responsible for environmental and climate damage within their limits, but also outside of their state.
- A special focus applies to the disproportionately greater damage that are exposed to children who are disadvantaged due to their environment or life situation.
What to do now
Now it is important to accept governments and companies. The General Comment itself provides clear instructions for action. States that have ratified the Children's Rights Convention must immediately organize the exit from coal, oil and natural gas, switch to renewable energies, improve air quality, ensure access to clean water that switch industrial agriculture and fishing to healthy and sustainable food production.
To request this change to politics and business will be the task of child and youth activists as well as children's rights organizations such as Terre des Hommes. We will continue to be firmly at the side of the children and adolescents and support them in using and enforcing their now securitized right to a healthy environment.
