Human Rights Council statement on the right to a healthy environment

The Commission has submitted a statement to the Human Rights Council on the right to a healthy environment ahead of giving evidence to the 45^th Human Rights Council session today.

The Commission agrees with the Secretary-General of the United Nations that we need to “build back better” to ensure a just and equitable recovery in a post pandemic world, which includes recognising that everyone has a human right to enjoy a safe, clean, healthy and sustainable environment.

The Commission supports the call made by hundreds of international civil society organisations, social movements, local communities and Indigenous Peoples for a global recognition of the right to a healthy environment and the need for a global approach to global environmental crisis.

Read the full evidence here (PDF)

Judith Robertson, Chair of the Commission, speaking to the UN Human Rights Council today about climate justice in Scotland:

“We have recommended for a long period of time the incorporation of all international human rights treaties in Scots law. In 2019, the First Minister of Scotland set up a National Taskforce for Human Rights Leadership with the purpose of strengthening the current statutory framework for human rights and bringing internationally recognised human rights into domestic law, including a right to a healthy environment. As Scotland moves forward to incorporate this human right into legislation, the Commission calls on the international community to urgently recognise the right to a safe, clean, healthy and sustainable environment."

ENDs