States’ Human Rights Obligations in the Context of Climate Change

This briefing by the Center for International Environmental Law (CIEL) and the Global Initiative for Economic, Social & Cultural Rights (GIESCR) reviews the 2023 activities of the UN Committee on the Rights of the Child (CRC) regarding climate change. It details the CRC's use of State review procedures to hold governments accountable for children's rights in the face of climate crises and analyzes the Committee's General Comment No. 26 (2023), which establishes the right to a clean, healthy, and sustainable environment as implicit in the Convention on the Rights of the Child.

• In 2023, the CRC integrated climate change into twenty-five of its forty-two State review outputs, including Concluding Observations (COBs), Lists of Issues (LOIs), and Lists of Issues Prior to Reporting (LOIPRs). The Committee focused more frequently on developed States than on Least Developed Countries (LDCs), Small Islands Developing States (SIDS), or other developing nations. The CRC specifically commended Bolivia and Finland for ratifying the Paris Agreement, and Sweden and Finland for national climate laws, while calling for better domestic regulation in the UK, Liechtenstein, the Dominican Republic, Kyrgyzstan, and Turkiye.
• The CRC emphasized the need for States to address the impacts of climate change on children through mitigation, adaptation, and the regulation of private actors. In 2023, mitigation was raised in twenty outputs, including requests for Azerbaijan and Norway to align energy policies and fossil fuel extraction with children's rights. The Committee also highlighted the vulnerability of specific groups, such as the Māori and Pasifika in New Zealand and the Sami in Finland. Regarding private actors, the CRC recommended that Finland and Sweden establish regulatory frameworks or corporate responsibility legislation to account for activities that endanger children's rights, including risks from global warming and fossil fuel production.
• The CRC addressed extraterritorial obligations (ETOs) in six outputs, urging States to manage environmental impacts beyond their borders. Specifically, the Committee recommended that the UK take measures to uphold ETOs regarding environmental impacts and international cooperation. It also called on Azerbaijan and Norway to protect children's rights—including health, food, and standard of living—both domestically and abroad in the context of climate mitigation and fossil fuel impacts.
• General Comment No. 26 (2023) defines a clean, healthy, and sustainable environment as a human right that is implicit in the Convention and essential for the enjoyment of other children's rights. This right encompasses clean air, a safe and stable climate, biodiversity, and non-toxic environments. To realize this right, the CRC identifies immediate steps for States, including phasing out fossil fuels for a just transition, improving air quality, and transforming agriculture and fisheries. The GC also asserts that State duties extend to the interests of future generations under the principle of intergenerational equity.
• General Comment No. 26 outlines specific implementation measures for States, including the obligation to provide access to effective remedies for children's rights abuses by business enterprises, including those resulting from extraterritorial operations. The CRC calls for an urgent increase in adaptation measures that are child-sensitive, gender-responsive, and disability-inclusive to reduce both short-term and long-term climate impacts.

APA

Center for International Environmental Law (n.d.). States’ Human Rights Obligations in the Context of Climate Change. https://www.ciel.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/HRTB-Synthesis-Note-2024_CIEL_GIESCR_Committee-on-the-Rights-of-the-Child-CRCpdf.pdf

Chicago

Center for International Environmental Law. States’ Human Rights Obligations in the Context of Climate Change. n.d. https://www.ciel.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/HRTB-Synthesis-Note-2024_CIEL_GIESCR_Committee-on-the-Rights-of-the-Child-CRCpdf.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=Center for International Environmental Law |title=States’ Human Rights Obligations in the Context of Climate Change |url=https://www.ciel.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/HRTB-Synthesis-Note-2024_CIEL_GIESCR_Committee-on-the-Rights-of-the-Child-CRCpdf.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{centerforinternationalenvironmentallawndstates, author = {{Center for International Environmental Law}}, title = {{States’ Human Rights Obligations in the Context of Climate Change}}, institution = {Center for International Environmental Law}, url = {https://www.ciel.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/HRTB-Synthesis-Note-2024_CIEL_GIESCR_Committee-on-the-Rights-of-the-Child-CRCpdf.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }