This is the first time that this committee establishes the right of children to live in a clean, healthy and sustainable environment, after adopting General Comment number 26, according to a press release issued here.

The provision provides a comprehensive interpretation of the obligations of States under the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child, ratified by 196 countries.

With this regulation, the Committee on the Rights of the Child not only echoes and amplifies their voices, but also clearly defines their guarantees in relation to the environment that States Parties must collectively and urgently respect, protect and fulfill, Committee member Philip Jaffé noted.

The new generations, even the youngest, have been at the forefront of the fight against climate change, calling on governments and corporations to take measures to safeguard their lives and their future, the text added.

The 1989 treaty outlines children’s rights, including to life, health care, clean water, and survival and development.

The new Comment explicitly highlights the climate emergency, biodiversity collapse and widespread pollution, while recognizing the responsibility of governments to protect children from immediate harm and foreseeable violations of their rights in the future due to current action or inaction.

jg/abo/mgt/ebr