Berlin/Osnabrück – At the climate conference taking place in Bonn until June 26, Terre des Hommes together with children and young people from numerous countries, is calling for greater commitment and a clear alignment of climate policy with children's rights. The children and young people are particularly referring to the provisions of General Comment 26, a general comment on the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child, to which Terre des Hommes played a key role, and are calling for a healthy and intact environment for children and young people of today and tomorrow.
At the Bonn "Interim Conference SB62," government delegations, scientists, and representatives of business associations, environmental and human rights organizations, including Terre des Hommes , are discussing the agenda for the climate summit, which will take place in Belém, Brazil, from November 10 to 21, 2025. "Children make up one-third of the world's population. However, they remain excluded from climate policy, and their interests are not taken into account, despite promises on paper," said Joshua Hofert, spokesperson for the board of Terre des Hommes . "The UN Committee on the Rights of the Child has confirmed in General Comment 26 that environmental damage and the negligent approach to the climate crisis violate children's rights, especially the right to a healthy environment."
Terre des Hommes calls on governments to plan and implement child-friendly, rights-based measures developed jointly with young people. Young people, especially those severely affected by climate change, should be allowed to have a say and exercise their right to participate.
"If the climate protection measures and national work plans do not guarantee the right of children and adolescents to a clean, safe and healthy environment, they finally miss the 1.5 degree goal of the Paris Agreement," said Joshua Hofert. »States have not only a moral, but also a legal obligation. International climate policy must ensure children's rights. "