UN Special Rapporteur on Human Rights and the Environment David R. Boyd spoke at the virtual CSW66 Consultation Day organized by NGO CSW Geneva and NGO CSW Vienna. Our Consultation Day theme was based on the Human Rights Council Resolution on The Human Right to a Clean, Healthy and Sustainable Environment (HRC48/13)
David Boyd and Dunja Mijatović, Commissioner for Human Rights, Council of Europe, had a conversation on this newly acknowledged human right at the Human Rights and Climate Change Symposium, Royal Society of Edinburgh. You can watch the video here.
UN Special Rapprteur on Human Rights and the Environment David Boyd put it this way: “The bottom line is this: Human rights must be at the heart of all climate action, mitigation, adaptation and loss and damage. We have to recognize that these are not options for governments, these are human rights obligations.”
Collective efforts are required by so many different actors in society to drive the kind of change we must have. We need to bring together environmental campaigners, scientists, academics. What are successful mechanisms to cross these divides and bring these groups together to form powerful collectives? The Human Rights Council Resolution was the product of an incredible collaboration by thousands of people around the world. A civil society coalition issued a global call for recognition that had over 1300 civil society and indigenous peoples’ organizations. There remain very present dangers to people who speak out on these issues. Human rights and environmental defenders and activists, more young people demanding changes. However, increased visibility makes it easier to protect them, and give them a voice. To further promote collective action and increase momentum.
What difference does the recognition of the human right to a healthy environment make? It is a catalyst for change. More governments will add it to their Constitutions, add it to their environmental legislation. Citizens will use this right as a tool to advance a human rights-based approach to climate change policies and programs.