Maastricht Principles on The Human Rights of Future Generations

The Maastricht Principles on the Human Rights of Future Generations define future generations as those who do not yet exist but will inherit the Earth, asserting that human rights contain no temporal limitation. The document outlines binding obligations for States to respect, protect, and fulfil these rights, specifically highlighting the need to cease unsustainable production and consumption patterns and to phase out fossil fuels. It emphasizes the role of Indigenous Peoples' knowledge, the principle of trusteeship over the Earth, and the necessity of providing effective remedies and reparations for intergenerational harm.

• Human rights are not limited to present generations; they extend to all members of the human family, including those born in the future, as no international human rights instrument contains a temporal limitation.

APA

Liebenberg, S., Khalfan, A., Carmona, M. S., Kothari, M., Venne-Manyfingers, S., Wewerinke-Singh, M., & Muffett, C. (2023). Maastricht Principles on The Human Rights of Future Generations. Center for International Environmental Law. https://www.ciel.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/Maastricht-Principles-Light_Jun12.pdf

Chicago

Liebenberg, Sandy, Ashfaq Khalfan, Magdalena Sepúlveda Carmona, Miloon Kothari, Sharon Venne-Manyfingers, Margaretha Wewerinke-Singh, and Carroll Muffett. Maastricht Principles on The Human Rights of Future Generations. Center for International Environmental Law, 2023. https://www.ciel.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/Maastricht-Principles-Light_Jun12.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite press release |last1=Liebenberg |first1=Sandy |last2=Khalfan |first2=Ashfaq |last3=Carmona |first3=Magdalena Sepúlveda |last4=Kothari |first4=Miloon |last5=Venne-Manyfingers |first5=Sharon |last6=Wewerinke-Singh |first6=Margaretha |last7=Muffett |first7=Carroll |title=Maastricht Principles on The Human Rights of Future Generations |publisher=Center for International Environmental Law |date=3 February 2023 |url=https://www.ciel.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/Maastricht-Principles-Light_Jun12.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@misc{liebenberg2023maastricht, author = {Liebenberg, Sandy and Khalfan, Ashfaq and Carmona, Magdalena Sepúlveda and Kothari, Miloon and Venne-Manyfingers, Sharon and Wewerinke-Singh, Margaretha and Muffett, Carroll}, title = {{Maastricht Principles on The Human Rights of Future Generations}}, publisher = {Center for International Environmental Law}, year = {2023}, month = feb, url = {https://www.ciel.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/06/Maastricht-Principles-Light_Jun12.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }