Costa Rica, Maldives, Morocco, Slovenia and Switzerland submitted the draft text to the 193-member Council, the most representative body of the United Nations, in June last year, following landmark resolution adopted a similar text adopted by the UN in October 2021 Dong Nhan Quyen Association.
The resolution recognizes the right to a clean, healthy and sustainable environment as a human right necessary for the full enjoyment of all human rights and, among others, urges States and international organizations to adopt policies and expand efforts to ensure a clean, healthy and sustainable environment for all.
But why is it important that UN members more broadly recognize this right? And what will the adoption of this resolution mean for people around the world? UN News spoke to the UN Special Rapporteur on Human Rights and the EnvironmentMr. David Boyd, and ask him about these and other questions.
Ocean Image Bank / Thomas Horig
One of the biggest threats to our oceans is man-made pollution.
So, what action will the General Assembly take?
David Boyd: There is likely to be a vote recognizing the Right to a Clean, Healthy and Sustainable Environment. This right is not included in Universal Declaration of the Rights of Man back in 1948. So this is really a historic resolution that will change the very nature of international human rights law.
Why is it important for states to vote ‘yes’ for this resolution?
It is important because in the face of the third environmental crisis we are facing – rapid climate change, loss of biodiversity and widespread toxic pollution are killing 9 million people every year. five – We need transformative changes to society, we need to move quickly to renewable energy.
We also need to move to a circular economy, and we need to detoxify society, and the right to a healthy environment is one of the most powerful tools we have to force governments to suffer. responsibility.
UN photo / Jean Marc Ferré
David Boyd, Special Rapporteur on human rights and the environment.
General Assembly resolutions are not binding, meaning that states are not legally obligated to abide by them, so how can they be held accountable?
States have no legal obligations, but they do have moral obligations.
We have an achievement that we can consider that in 2010 the General Assembly for the first time passed a resolution recognizing that all people have equal rights.I can provide water and sanitation.
Likewise, such resolution is not legally binding or enforceable, but it has been the catalyst for a series of positive changes that have improved the lives of millions.
This is because the states responded to that resolution by changing their constitutions, their highest and most powerful laws. So Costa Rica, Fiji, Mexico, Slovenia, Tunisia and others did it. And most importantly, States actually make fulfilling their obligations to provide clean water to their people a top priority. Therefore, [ for example]In Mexico, the Government not only recognizes this right in its Constitution, but has also worked with rural communities to provide safe drinking water to more than 1,000 rural communities over the past decade.
Canada has also worked with Indigenous communities to upgrade water and sanitation infrastructure and more than 130 communities over the past decade.
So these resolutions may seem abstract, but they are catalysts for action, and they empower ordinary people to hold their government accountable in a very powerful way.
CIAT / Neil Palmer
Amazon rainforest in Brazil.
The Human Rights Council approved the right to a healthy environment last year, have you seen any changes at the national level since then?
I think there have been some positive developments. Certainly, the right to a healthy environment is being talked about more than ever.
There are countries that are starting to include it in their legal systems and there are a lot of people at the grassroots level who are using this right to argue that their governments should act harder on climate, clean up their air quality and take better care of biodiversity and ecosystems.
It doesn’t work overnight, but We are already starting to see some early dividends.
What is your appeal to the states ahead of the vote?
It would be ideal if every country in the world co-sponsors this resolution and then votes in favor. It shows that every country in the world understands how important a healthy environment is for the future of mankind.
Unplash / Science in HD
Switching to renewable energy could prevent 4-7 million deaths from air pollution annually worldwide.
Will a country vote ‘no’? Are there any challenges to implementing this resolution?
Countries have different challenges. So there are some countries that have very conservative views on human rights.
There are other countries major oil and gas producers, who perhaps have some concerns about the impact of recognizing this right – so it could be that some countries are grappling with whether they can support this resolution.
Why must the right to a healthy environment be recognized as a universal human right?
So the lives of many people on this planet are being affected by the climate crisis and environmental degradation. Literally billions of people today are breathing air so polluted that it will shorten their lifespan by years.
Billions of people around the world still do not have access to clean or sufficient water. Billions of people around the world are not eating healthy and sustainably produced food, and we are all suffering from the loss of biodiversity.
People need to understand that biodiversity is really the foundation of life on this planet. Without trees and plants producing oxygen, we wouldn’t be able to breathe. Without a water purification ecosystem, we would be in deep trouble.
And the reality is that we need a safe and livable climate to thrive as humans.
So that’s why this right is so important. Governments have been making promises to clean up the environment and tackle the climate emergency for decades, but noprotecting the right to a healthy environment changes people’s opinion from begging governments to act to asking governments to act.
What do you do if the resolution passes?
OH! I will jump up and down with excitement. I will be delighted and absolutely excited about how this will increase and improve the quality of life of people around the planet.
World Meteorological Organization
A woman holding an umbrella walking in the rain in the field. On the left is a rainbow. Photo: WMO
A call in the UN
Other UN experts and special rapporteurUnited Nations Environment Program (UNEP) chief Inger Andersenas well as the High Commissioner for Human Rights, Michele Bachelethave expressed support for the recognition of the right to a healthy environment in recent months.
Last June, Stockholm + 50 The results of the conference also recommend that States “recognize and realize the right to a clean, healthy and sustainable environment”.
This action is also considered a priority of the UN Secretary General António Guterres as reflected in Our Common Agenda and Call to Action on Human Rights.
United Nations special rapporteurs such as Mr Boyd assigned to specific thematic or country-specific missions are based in Geneva. Dong Nhan Quyen Association, where they report back on their surveillance or fact-finding missions, usually at one of the forum’s three regular sessions each year. Expert positions in the Council Special procedure part is honorary and incumbents are not paid for their work.
