(BREAKING): UNGA declares access to clean environment a universal human right

António Guterres

With 161 votes in favour, and eight abstentions, the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) on Thursday adopted a historic resolution declaring access to a clean, healthy and sustainable environment, a universal human right.

According to a statement by the UN, the resolution, based on a similar text adopted last year by the Human Rights Council, calls upon States, international organisations, and business enterprises to scale up efforts to ensure a healthy environment for all. 

The UN Secretary-General, António Guterres, welcomed the ‘historic’ decision and said the landmark development demonstrates that Member States can come together in the collective fight against the triple planetary crisis of climate change, biodiversity loss and pollution.

“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”, he said in a statement released by his Spokesperson’s Office.

He added that the decision will also help States accelerate the implementation of their environmental and human rights obligations and commitments.

“The international community has given universal recognition to this right and brought us closer to making it a reality for all”, he said.

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Guterres underscored that however, the adoption of the resolution ‘is only the beginning’ and urged nations to make this newly recognised right ‘a reality for everyone, everywhere’.

In a statement, UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Michelle Bachelet also hailed the Assembly’s decision and echoed the Secretary-General’s call for urgent action to implement it.

“Today is a historic moment, but simply affirming our right to a healthy environment is not enough. The General Assembly resolution is very clear: States must implement their international commitments and scale up their efforts to realize it. We will all suffer much worse effects from environmental crises, if we do not work together to collectively avert them now,” she said.

The government of the United Kingdom voted ‘yes’ to the resolution.

However, through its Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office and UK Mission to the UN, the UK noted that: “First, General Assembly resolutions are not legally-binding.

“Second, as such, the recognition of the right in this resolution does not legally bind States to its terms.

“And third, our understanding is that the right to a clean, healthy and sustainable environment derives from existing international economic and social rights law – as a component of the right to an adequate standard of living, or the right to the enjoyment of the highest attainable standard of physical and mental health. As this resolution states in OP2, this right is “related to other rights and existing international law”.

“The UK acknowledges this is an issue of deep concern to all of us and it is on this basis that we voted yes today.”