Human Rights Council adopted resolution to realize the rights of children through a healthy environment!

Hazardous chemicals endanger environment and health – Our Future Policy Award 2020/21 searches for solution to protect young people

At the 45th session of the UN Human Rights Council, a historic resolution was passed, urging states to take measures to protect children and young people, present and future generations, from environmental damage and strengthen their right to a healthy environment. The World Future Council welcomes this important resolution that calls states to include the right to a healthy environment in national legislation and decision-making to ensure children can enjoy their rights to health, wellbeing and development.

In light of the climate crisis, environmental pollution and destruction children’s rights are at stake. Taking precautionary action and ensuring the best interest of the child is a primary consideration in environmental decision-making also with regard to our planet.

Some key factors of the Resolution are closely linked to our work and to our 2020/21 Future Policy Award on Protection from Hazardous Chemicals: 

• Children’s special sensitivity to exposure on environmental damage due to their unique metabolic, physiological and developmental needs.
• Every year, more than 1.7 million children under the age of five die from preventable environmental damage, 12 million children in developing countries suffer permanent brain damage from lead poisoning, and approximately 85 million children are exposed to hazardous conditions from exposure to toxic environment at work, which also causes brain damage or other diseases with sometimes irreversible damage.
• A number of children’s rights, such as the right to life, the right to the highest attainable standard of physical and mental health, as well as their rights with regard to  physical, mental, spiritual, moral and social development are at theat.
• Young people will continue to be exposed to environmental pollution, waste and other hazardous substances, both from primary and secondary products and processes, such as the use of pesticides, also in agriculture. Around 73 million children are involved in hazardous work in this context, for example in the mining, and the number of the youngest of these children is increasing.