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General comment no. 26 (2023) on children’s rights and the environment with a special focus on climate change

Committee on the Rights of the Child

United Nations Convention of the Rights of the Child

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Theme
Tag
  • Child Rights,
  • climate,
  • human rights,
  • Paris Agreement,
  • General Comment No. 26,
  • UN Convention on the Rights of the Child
Target Group
  • Policy makers,
  • Youth,
  • Entrepreneurs,
  • Researchers
Language
  • English
Region

The General Comment is motivated by children's efforts towards drawing attention to environmental crises. Here, the committee articulates children's rights to a healthy and sustainable environment.

On August the 23 2023, the United Nations Committee on the Rights of the Child released General Comment No. 26 on children’s rights and the environment, with a special focus on climate change. The comment emphasises the urgent need to address the adverse effects of environmental degradation on children’s rights, particularly in the context of climate change. It provides authoritative guidance on how children’s rights are impacted by the environmental crisis and what governments must do to uphold those rights. The comment assists in interpreting states’ commitment under the Paris Agreement to respect, promote, and consider their child rights’ obligations in all climate actions. It also calls on states to take action to protect children’s rights in the face of environmental degradation and climate change. The comment highlights the importance of children’s participation in decision-making processes related to the environment and climate change, and the need for states to ensure that children’s voices are heard and taken into account.