No group is more vulnerable to environmental harm than children.
Air pollution, water pollution and exposure to toxic substances, together with other types of environmental harm, cause 1.5 million deaths of children under the age of 5 every year, and contribute to disease, disability and early mortality throughout their life. In addition, climate change and the loss of biodiversity threaten to cause long-term effects that will blight children’s lives for years to come. Making matters worse, children are often not able to exercise their rights, including their rights to information, participation and access to effective remedies. States must do more to respect, protect and fulfil the rights of children in relation to environmental harm.
To that end, the Special Rapporteur with the assistance of UN Environment, Queen’s University Belfast, and Terre des Hommes, have produced this child-friendly resource in all UN languages which describes the effects of environmental harm on the rights of children as well as human rights obligations relating to the protection of children and future generations from environmental harm.
