News

The Committee on the rights of the child, monitors implementation of the Convention on the Rights of the Child by UN States parties. It is currently drafting a general comment on children’s rights and the environment with a special focus on climate change. The Committee invited all interested stakeholders to comment on its draft general comment. The Global Pact Coalition submitted a comment.

The fourth Summit of the Council of Europe is an important opportunity to strengthen European rights. While this summit is taking place in reaction to the aggression of the Russian Federation against Ukraine, other topics will be discussed, such as strengthening pan-European cooperation or combating violence against women. The upcoming hearings before the ECtHR on the obligations of Member States regarding CO2 emissions and global warming illustrate the importance of putting the right to a healthy environment on the agenda of this Summit.

After almost years of talks, UN Member States have finally reached a historic deal to protect international waters. Almost 2/3 of the world’s ocean lies outside national boundaries & only 1.2% is protected. This deal is decisive in enforcing the 30×30 pledge.

Vanuatu and 14 other States published the final draft of the UNGA resolution to request an International Court of Justice Advisory Opinion on the human rights obligations of States in the context of climate change. They are calling Member States to co-sponsor the resolution before its vote in a plenary session of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA). 105 UN member states are already co-sponsoring the resolution prior to its vote in the UN General Assembly plenary session.

This brief was submitted in February 2023 to the UNFCCC in response to the call for ‘Views on the approach to the consideration of outputs component of the first global stocktake’ by some member organizations of the Human Rights and Climate Change Working Group.

Over the year of 2022, the Global Pact Coalition (GPC) took part in a number of events and negotiations in the field of international environmental law. Major changes and evolvements in the structure and networks of the organization also took place in 2022.

In September 2021, the Government of Vanuatu announced its intention to seek an Advisory Opinion from the International Court of Justice (ICJ) on the obligations of States under international law to protect the environment for future generations.

The Global Pact Coalition is thrilled to announce its new partnership with the Environmental Defenders Office (Australia)

On Thursday July 28, the United Nations General Assembly recognized the right to live in a clean, healthy and sustainable environment as a human right for ALL.

The recognition of the right to a healthy environment is under negotiation at the United Nations General Assembly.