The Right to a Healthy Environment in the Convention on the Rights of the Child

The Center for International Environmental Law (CIEL) argues that the Committee on the Rights of the Child should recognize an implied right to a healthy environment to ensure the effective realization of children's rights. Drawing on jurisprudence from other human rights bodies, CIEL demonstrates how a healthy environment is a necessary precondition for the rights to life, health, food, water, and an adequate standard of living. The document highlights that over 140 states have already incorporated environmental rights into their national constitutions, supporting an evolutionary interpretation of the Convention.

• CIEL argues that articulating the right of the child to a healthy environment as implied in the Convention would clarify State responsibilities to prevent and protect against environmental harms, secure greater protection for children, and identify the preconditions necessary for the fulfillment of all Convention rights.
• Human rights bodies frequently recognize implied rights to ensure that treaty guarantees remain practical and effective in the face of new threats or changing circumstances, often using the teleological dimension of treaties to safeguard human dignity.
• There is significant global legal precedent for environmental rights, with more than 140 States having incorporated such rights into their national constitutions, which CIEL asserts is legally significant for the evolving interpretation of the Convention.

APA

Center for International Environmental Law (2016). The Right to a Healthy Environment in the Convention on the Rights of the Child. https://www.ciel.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/08/CRC-Submission-RtE-23-AUG-2016.pdf

Chicago

Center for International Environmental Law. The Right to a Healthy Environment in the Convention on the Rights of the Child. 2016. https://www.ciel.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/08/CRC-Submission-RtE-23-AUG-2016.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=Center for International Environmental Law |title=The Right to a Healthy Environment in the Convention on the Rights of the Child |date=August 2016 |url=https://www.ciel.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/08/CRC-Submission-RtE-23-AUG-2016.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{centerforinternationalenvironmentallaw2016right, author = {{Center for International Environmental Law}}, title = {{The Right to a Healthy Environment in the Convention on the Rights of the Child}}, institution = {Center for International Environmental Law}, year = {2016}, month = aug, url = {https://www.ciel.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/08/CRC-Submission-RtE-23-AUG-2016.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }