The United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) declared on July 29 that everyone on the planet has a right to a healthy environment, a move backers say is an important step in countering the alarming decline of the natural world.
Key highlights
- With 161 votes in favour, and eight abstentions*, the UN General Assembly adopted a historic resolution declaring access to a clean, healthy and sustainable environment, a universal human right.
- The resolution calls upon States, international organisations, and business enterprises to scale up efforts to ensure a healthy environment for all. It called on states to step up efforts to ensure their people have access to a “clean, healthy and sustainable environment.”
- The resolution will help reduce environmental injustices, close protection gaps and empower people, especially those that are in vulnerable situations, including environmental human rights defenders, children, youth, women and indigenous peoples.
- The resolution is not legally binding on the 193 UN Member States. But advocates are hopeful it will have a trickle-down effect, prompting countries to enshrine the right to a healthy environment in national constitutions and regional treaties, and encouraging states to implement those laws.
- Supporters say that would give environmental campaigners more ammunition to challenge ecologically destructive policies and projects.
- The resolution comes as the planet grapples with what Andersen called a triple planetary crisis of climate change, nature and biodiversity loss, and pollution and waste.
- The text, originally presented by Costa Rica, the Maldives, Morocco, Slovenia and Switzerland last June, and now co-sponsored by over 100 countries, notes that the right to a healthy environment is related to existing international law and affirms that its promotion requires the full implementation of multilateral environmental agreements.
- The General Assembly resolution follows a flurry of similar legal reforms at the international and national levels.
- In April 2022, the UN Human Rights Council declared access to a “clean, healthy and sustainable environment” a human right.
