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This Guide was inspired by the historic resolutions adopted by the Human Rights Council and the General Assembly in 2021 and 2022, recognizing–for the first time at the UN–the universal human right to a clean, healthy and sustainable environment. At the Human Rights Council, 43 States voted in favour, none opposed and four abstained. At the General Assembly, 161 States voted in favour, none opposed and eight abstained, with one of the abstainers belatedly shifting to support the resolution and two additional nations that missed the vote subsequently expressing their support. Rarely in the past 75 years has such a ground-breaking resolution received such an overwhelming level of State support, from all regions of the world. A number of key players came together to ensure successful outcomes. Civil society organizations played a key role in persuading States to support these resolutions, with more than 1,300 organizations joining forces between 2020 and 2022 to demand action. With relentless, timely and targeted advocacy, civil society succeeded in turning opponents into allies and fence-sitters into champions. For their extraordinary efforts, the Global Coalition of Civil Society, Indigenous Peoples, Social Movements and Local Communities for the Human Right to a Clean, Healthy and Sustainable Environment received an extraordinary honour, the UN Human Rights Award in 2023. Five States driving the landmark resolutions forward in both Geneva and New York deserve an immense amount of credit for their outstanding diplomatic efforts: Costa Rica, the Maldives, Morocco, Slovenia and Switzerland. More than a dozen United Nations agencies came together to throw their weight behind this effort. The UN resolutions on the right to a healthy environment provided a much-need jolt of hope to a world struggling to cope with a devastating pandemic and a climate emergency. As soon as the resolutions were adopted, people began to ask: What next? How can we turn these inspiring words into tangible, concrete actions that will improve peoples’ lives and protect this uniquely beautiful and biodiverse planet? How can we turbocharge the implementation of ambitious, effective and equitable solutions? Through consultations hosted over the course of 2022 and 2023, feedback was gathered from representatives of civil society organizations regarding what types of information would be most helpful in answering these questions. Guidance about how to implement the right to a healthy environment was a unanimous request. Thus, the goal of this User’s Guide is to provide useful and inspiring advice to civil society, social movements and communities on how to accelerate implementation of the right to a clean, healthy and sustainable environment. What does this right mean? How can this right be used to prevent unsustainable and unjust laws, policies, projects and plans proposed by governments and businesses? How can this right be used to advance the transformative and systemic changes urgently needed to achieve a just and sustainable future? How can this right be used to catalyze a just transition away from fossil fuels? The good news is that there is already plenty of experience to learn from and build upon. Some States have recognized the right to a healthy environment dating back to the 1970s, enabling civil society to work with this powerful tool. Some States, with advocacy and assistance from civil society, have used the right to a healthy environment to transform themselves into global environmental leaders. This User’s Guide presents many inspiring good practices, including examples of individuals, communities, organizations and States using the right to a healthy environment in a variety of creative and progressive ways, as well as links to a wealth of online resources.

The Right to a Healthy Environment: A User’s Guide

Resource Key: 5FDBFZKK

Document Type: Report

Creator:

Author:

  • David R. Boyd

Creators Name: {mb_resource_zotero_creatorsname}

Place: Geneva

Institution: Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR)

Date: 22 April 2024

Language:

This Guide was inspired by the historic resolutions adopted by the Human Rights Council and the General Assembly in 2021 and 2022, recognizing–for the first time at the UN–the universal human right to a clean, healthy and sustainable environment. At the Human Rights Council, 43 States voted in favour, none opposed and four abstained. At the General Assembly, 161 States voted in favour, none opposed and eight abstained, with one of the abstainers belatedly shifting to support the resolution and two additional nations that missed the vote subsequently expressing their support. Rarely in the past 75 years has such a ground-breaking resolution received such an overwhelming level of State support, from all regions of the world. A number of key players came together to ensure successful outcomes. Civil society organizations played a key role in persuading States to support these resolutions, with more than 1,300 organizations joining forces between 2020 and 2022 to demand action. With relentless, timely and targeted advocacy, civil society succeeded in turning opponents into allies and fence-sitters into champions. For their extraordinary efforts, the Global Coalition of Civil Society, Indigenous Peoples, Social Movements and Local Communities for the Human Right to a Clean, Healthy and Sustainable Environment received an extraordinary honour, the UN Human Rights Award in 2023. Five States driving the landmark resolutions forward in both Geneva and New York deserve an immense amount of credit for their outstanding diplomatic efforts: Costa Rica, the Maldives, Morocco, Slovenia and Switzerland. More than a dozen United Nations agencies came together to throw their weight behind this effort. The UN resolutions on the right to a healthy environment provided a much-need jolt of hope to a world struggling to cope with a devastating pandemic and a climate emergency. As soon as the resolutions were adopted, people began to ask: What next? How can we turn these inspiring words into tangible, concrete actions that will improve peoples’ lives and protect this uniquely beautiful and biodiverse planet? How can we turbocharge the implementation of ambitious, effective and equitable solutions? Through consultations hosted over the course of 2022 and 2023, feedback was gathered from representatives of civil society organizations regarding what types of information would be most helpful in answering these questions. Guidance about how to implement the right to a healthy environment was a unanimous request. Thus, the goal of this User’s Guide is to provide useful and inspiring advice to civil society, social movements and communities on how to accelerate implementation of the right to a clean, healthy and sustainable environment. What does this right mean? How can this right be used to prevent unsustainable and unjust laws, policies, projects and plans proposed by governments and businesses? How can this right be used to advance the transformative and systemic changes urgently needed to achieve a just and sustainable future? How can this right be used to catalyze a just transition away from fossil fuels? The good news is that there is already plenty of experience to learn from and build upon. Some States have recognized the right to a healthy environment dating back to the 1970s, enabling civil society to work with this powerful tool. Some States, with advocacy and assistance from civil society, have used the right to a healthy environment to transform themselves into global environmental leaders. This User’s Guide presents many inspiring good practices, including examples of individuals, communities, organizations and States using the right to a healthy environment in a variety of creative and progressive ways, as well as links to a wealth of online resources.

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