Did you know that 19% (37 of 193) of the Member States of the United Nations still do not recognise in law the fundamental human right to a healthy environment.
On 2 March 2020, Dr David Boyd, the UN Special Rapporteur for Human Rights and the Environment presented the report “Good practices of States at the national and regional levels with regard to human rights obligations relating to the environment” to the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva.
The report was based on a global mapping survey aimed at determining which of the 193 UN Member States recognise and implement a human right to a healthy environment in their domestic law. Redcliffe Partners, together with Clifford Chance, the Cyrus R. Vance Center for International Justice and more than 100 other local firms globally, contributed to the survey.
The research shows that the fundamental human right to a healthy environment is now recognised in law by more than 80% (156 of 193) of the Member States of the United Nations.
Susan M. Kath, Director of the Environment Program at the Vance Center, said:”We hope the research will further the discussion around global environmental and human rights, and ensure protection of the fundamental principles of environmental law. Despite the progress made to date, there is still a lot of work to be done to fully recognise the right to a safe, healthy and sustainable environment. The report and the subsequent discussions at the local, national and supranational levels, will ensure that the topic remains a priority and that we build legal capacity and knowledge.”
This project makes an expert contribution to achieving The Sustainable Development Goals adopted by all United Nations Member States in 2015 as a universal call to action to protect the planet and ensure that all people enjoy peace and prosperity by 2030.
Anastasia Usova, Partner at Redcliffe Partners, says:”At Redcliffe Partners we deeply share the values of creating a more environmentally friendly and sustainable world. In our everyday work we try to make our own contribution in achieving the UN Sustainable Development Goals: from advising clients in the most challenging renewable energy projects in Ukraine to launching waste-sorting initiatives in our office and choosing eco-friendly, reusable corporate gifts for our clients. We believe that small steps every day make big changes over time”.
The project team from Redcliffe Partners included Anastasia Usova, Partner, Anton Rekun, Associate, and Christina Petrina, Junior Associate. To access the report please follow the link: https://undocs.org/en/A/HRC/43/53.