Landmark UN General Assembly resolution recognizes right to a healthy environment

Today, the United Nations General Assembly made history. Today, the General Assembly adopted a resolution recognizing the right to a clean, healthy and sustainable environment. Today, the General Assembly achieved a victory for people and the planet.

The resolution adopted today has stood for five decades. Starting with the Stockholm Declaration of 1972, the law has been incorporated into constitutions, national laws and regional agreements. In October 2021, it was recognized by the UN Human Rights Council. Today's decision elevates the law to its place: universal recognition.

The resolution demonstrates that countries stand in solidarity with the billions of people who are suffering under the weight of the triple global crisis of climate change, loss of nature and biodiversity, pollution and waste. It will help people defend their right to a safe climate, their right to breathe clean air, and their rights to access to clean, safe water, adequate food, healthy ecosystems, and non-toxic environments.

So the recognition of this right is a victory that we must celebrate. My thanks to Member States and the thousands of civil society organizations and indigenous peoples' groups, as well as the tens of thousands of young people who have tirelessly advocated for this right.

But now we must build on this victory and implement the law, because the triple planetary crisis is a huge threat to present and future generations. If nations fully implement this right, it will change so much: enabling action on the triple planetary crisis, providing a more predictable and consistent global regulatory environment for business, and protecting those who defend nature. /p>

UNEP is committed to assisting Member States and all stakeholders in the implementation of this vital right. I urge all nations of the world to get to work – so that we can place a healthy environment at the center of human well-being, sustainable development and the enjoyment of all human rights.

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