Living in a pollution-free world is a basic Human Right
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UNEP applauds decision by Commission on Human Rights to assess the
right to a healthy environment
GENEVA/NAIROBI 27 April 2001 - Everyone has the right to live in a
world free from toxic pollution and environmental degradation, the
United Nations Commission on Human Rights has concluded.
The decision, the first time the Commission has addressed the links
between the environment and human rights, was made at its annual
meeting, which ended today in Geneva.
Mary Robinson, the High Commissioner for Human Rights, and Klaus
Toepfer, the Executive Director of UNEP, have been invited to organ-
ize an international seminar to explore how environmental and human
rights principles can be strengthened.
Mr Toepfer welcomed the historic move saying: "Many of the fundamen-
tal rights enshrined in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights
have significant environmental dimensions".
"Environmental conditions clearly help to determine the extent to
which people enjoy their basic rights to life, health, adequate food
and housing, and traditional livelihood and culture. It is time to
recognize that those who pollute or destroy the natural environment
are not just committing a crime against nature, but are violating hu-
man rights as well," he said.
"Human rights cannot be secured in a degraded or polluted environ-
ment. The fundamental right to life is threatened by soil degradation
and deforestation and by exposures to toxic chemicals, hazardous
wastes, and contaminated drinking water. For this reason, we believe
that the successful implementation of environmental treaties on bio-
diversity, climate change, desertification and chemicals can make a
major contribution to protecting human rights. We would welcome the
Commission's continued work on the environmental dimensions of human
rights, including enforcement and compliance," he said.
The results of the seminar will be considered at the Commission's
next session in March 2002 and will feed into the review of progress
towards sustainable development that has been achieved since the 1992
Rio Earth Summit.
This ten-year review will form the basis for the World Summit on Sus-
tainable Development, to be convened in Johannesburg in September
2002.
Courtesy of Eberhard Wenzel
Griffith University, Australia
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Claudio Schuftan
mailto:aviva@netnam.vn
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