A celebratory launch with children and young people worldwide: The United Nations presents the children's right to a healthy environment
GENEVA, 18 September 2023 – On 18 September 2023, the United Nations Committee on the Rights of the Child will officially present General Comment No. 26 in Geneva. These new guidelines for the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child recognize, for the first time, children's right to a clean, healthy, and sustainable environment. The presentation will be accompanied by events and environmental campaigns by children around the world.
In a live-streamed session at the Palais des Nations in Geneva, the Committee on the Rights of the Child will officially present the guidelines this afternoon. The document, "General Comment No. 26 on the rights of the child and the environment with particular reference to climate change," calls on states and companies to take more decisive action against climate change and pollution.
The presentation of the document marks the provisional culmination of a year and a half of global consultations organized by the international children's rights organization Terre des Hommes . Experts in environmental and children's rights, as well as a Children's Advisory Team—an advisory panel consisting of twelve children and young people from around the world—worked closely with the Committee on the Rights of the Child throughout the entire process. In total, contributions and comments were received from 16,331 children from 121 countries: the consultations thus represent one of the largest child participation processes in the history of the United Nations.
In his speech at the opening event, Joshua Hofert, spokesperson for the terre des hommes Germany, emphasized: “Today is a good day for children worldwide – and for the planet. With the right to a healthy environment, the Committee on the Rights of the Child has made it very clear today: Whoever causes climate and environmental damage violates children's rights. States must listen to children and they can no longer make decisions at their expense – they must act!”
And 17-year-old Aniva, who lives in the Pacific Islands and is a member of the Children's Advisory Team, explains: "Our participation and contribution have shaped this General Comment. The committee directly incorporated the perspective of children. And they know firsthand how environmental damage and climate change affect us. The children of the world are demanding action. We are demanding that governments address the climate crisis now."
The development of General Comment No. 26 has been welcomed by children and adults alike. Its importance in the context of increasing environmental problems is underscored by the continued high participation of children in global climate strikes, as well as by the growing number of children taking legal action to enforce their climate and environmental rights. At the official launch event in Geneva, versions of the General Comment specifically written for children will also be published to help young people of all ages better understand their rights.
“This General Comment gives us hope that we will play a role in how the environment is protected in the present and in the future. We children are the ones fighting for our future. If you are here to help us, if you are there to support us, then we have hope for this document ,” explains Elizabeth,
17, a member of the Children’s Advisory Team from Rwanda.
Members of the Committee on the Rights of the Child and the Children's Advisory Team will plant a tree in Geneva during a ceremony to symbolically mark the start of the implementation of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. The event in Geneva will be accompanied by activities by children around the world, aiming to raise awareness of the Universal Declaration and to demand the rights it defines.
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Further information
The international children's rights organization Terre des Hommes acted as an official partner of the UN Committee on the Rights of the Child in the development of General Comment No. 26.