UN declares access to clean and healthy environment as universal human right

UN declares access to clean and healthy environment as universal human right

Subject: Environment

Section: Climate Change

Context:

• India voted for the resolution and pointed out that the resolutions do not create binding obligations
• Every person on the planet has the right to live in a clean, healthy environment, declared United Nations (UN) in a historic resolution.
• The landmark development demonstrates that the member states can unite in the collective fight against the triple planetary crisis of climate change, biodiversity loss and pollution.
• This right was not included in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, 1948. So, this is a historic resolution that will change the very nature of international human rights law

United Nations Conference on the Human Environment: Stockholm 1972

• It was first declaration of international protection of the environment
• Held in Stockholm, Sweden from June 5–16 in 1972.
• The meeting agreed upon a Declaration containing 26 principles concerning the environment and development;
• One of the seminal issue that emerged from the conference is the recognition for poverty alleviation for protecting the environment.
• Indira Gandhi attended it
• The conference let to increased interest and research collaboration which paved the way for further understanding of global warming, which has led to such agreements as the Kyoto Protocol and the Paris Agreement, and has given a foundation of modern environmentalism.
• The United Nations Environment Programme has been established by the United Nations General Assembly in pursuance of the Stockholm Conference

United Nations General Assembly (UNGA): 

• The United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) is one of the six principal organs of the United Nations (UN).
• It serving as the main deliberative, policy-making, and representative organ of the UN. Its powers, composition, functions, and procedures are set out in Chapter IV of the United Nations Charter.
• The UNGA is responsible for the UN budget, appointing the non-permanent members to the Security Council, appointing the Secretary-General of the United Nations, receiving reports from other parts of the UN system, and making recommendations through resolutions.
• It also establishes numerous subsidiary organs to advance or assist in its broad mandate.
• The UNGA is the only UN organ wherein all member states have equal representation.
• It has 193 members (all the UN member countries).
• The resolutions passed by the General Assembly do not have the binding forces over the member nations.
• The General Assembly meets under its president or the UN Secretary-General in annual sessions at UN headquarters in New York City
• The first session was convened on 10 January 1946 in the Methodist Central Hall in London and included representatives of the 51 founding nations.
• The Assembly may also take action if the Security Council fails to act, owing to the negative vote of a permanent member, in a case where there appears to be a threat to the peace, breach of the peace or act of aggression. The Assembly can consider the matter immediately with a view to making recommendations to Members for collective measures to maintain or restore international peace and security.