Side event “Human rights depend on healthy biosphere” organized by the Special Rapporteur on human rights and the environment, David R. Boyd.

Video message by United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights,
Michelle Bachelet.

28 October 2020

I am pleased to join today’s discussion hosted by Special Rapporteur David Boyd.

All of us depend on a healthy environment for the realisation of our human rights.

Environmental degradation, biodiversity loss, pollution and the climate crisis constitute some of humanity’s gravest challenges, contributing both directly and indirectly to human rights violations around the world.

Intersecting environmental, health and socio-economic crises are reversing global development gains and placing people and planet under stress.

To effectively address the drivers of biodiversity loss, we must take concrete steps:

To protect and conserve lands and oceans;

To transition to sustainable patterns of production and consumption;

To recognize and protect the rights of women, children, indigenous peoples and local communities to land tenure and resources;

To conduct environmental impact assessments and guarantee the rights to participation, access to information and o justice to those affected;

To protect environmental human rights defenders from harm;

To ensure business responsibility for biodiversity, genetic resources and ecosystem services in line with the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights;

To certify that all related actions respect, protect and fulfil human rights.

The engagement and participation of all, including the youngest of us, is essential.

As stated in my report on realizing the rights of the child through a healthy environment, children should “enjoy the certainty that the biodiversity of the natural world will remain for future generations”.

That is why I reiterate my call for global recognition and effective implementation of the human right to a healthy environment.

More than 156 UN Member States¹ already recognize it at the national level by law and nearly 1000 organisations support a Global Call for the UN to Recognize the Right to a Healthy Environment, circulated at the Human Rights Council last month.

We must continue to move forward to ensure a rights-based approach to all environmental action including the post-2020 Global Biodiversity Framework.

Thank you.