UN Committee on the Rights of the Child: Draft guidelines on environmental rights
The United Nations Committee on the Rights of the Child (the Committee) issued a call for comment on the draft general comment on children’s rights and the environment with a special focus on climate change (General Comment No. 26). Stakeholders from around the world are invited to share their views on the draft general comment.
The draft general comment intends to bring to the forefront the effects of the environment and climate change on children, by promoting children’s rights and creating an understanding of the relationship between children’s rights and environmental rights. The overarching purpose of the general comment is to guide states by recommending measures that can be adopted in legislation and administrative functions to protect the environment and children.
The draft general comment lists general obligations of states to create a clean and safe environment that protects children’s rights by providing access to environmental information and protecting children from misinformation concerning environmental risks. States are further obliged to conduct up-to-date research and data on environmental issues, impacts and risks related to children’s rights. The duty of care in relation to children and potential environmental risk is heightened in the draft General Comment and requires states to conduct child rights impact assessments to determine the long and short impact of climate change and the environment on children’s rights. The draft General Comment also proposes that states ensure that the business sector is compliant with environmental standards that have the potential to violate children’s rights.
The deadline for submissions is Wednesday, 15 February 2023.
Submissions can made in English, French or Spanish, should not exceed 3,000 words, and should be submitted as a word document.
Submissions can be emailed to [email protected].
The call for comment is available here
The General Comment/Draft Guidelines are available here.
Please note: The information contained in this note is for general guidance on matters of interest and does not constitute legal advice. For any enquiries, please contact us at connect@powersingh.africa.
