GC26 on children’s rights and the environment with a special focus on climate change

Highlights

In this General Comment No. 26 (2023) on children’s rights and the environment with a special focus on climate change, the Committee on the Rights of the Child emphasizes the urgent need to address the adverse effects of environmental degradation, with a special focus on climate change, on the enjoyment of children’s rights, and clarifies the obligations of States to address environmental harm and climate change. The Committee also explains how children’s rights under the Convention on the Rights of the Child apply to environmental protection, and confirms that children have a right to a clean, healthy and sustainable environment.