A/HRC/43/54 56. Environmental indicators provide an opportunity for the effective implementation of the right to a healthy environment by establishing concrete and measurable outcomes for environmental performance. The lack of consistent, comprehensive, accessible and disaggregated data on environmental indicators is problematic. There are good practices that could be emulated and supported, such as the Joint Monitoring Programme for Water Supply, Sanitation and Hygiene, operated by the World Health Organization and the United Nations Children’s Fund.31 The Sustainable Development Goal implementation process in particular is highly dependent on reliable data to measure meaningful progress towards the Goals. Participants noted that the efforts required to achieve many of the Goals aligned closely with the actions needed to fulfil the right to a healthy environment, specifically referring to the Goals relating to poverty, hunger, education, gender equality, clean water and adequate sanitation, affordable and clean energy, infrastructure, reduced inequalities, sustainable cities and communities, responsible consumption and production, climate action, life below water, life on land, and peace, justice and strong institutions. 57. Strengthened efforts for the protection of environmental human rights defenders were mentioned by many participants as a high priority. Defenders are on the ground in countless communities around the world attempting to protect human rights from environmental harms. Their own rights – freedoms of expression and association, as well as life, liberty and security of the person – are all too often jeopardized and violated. Although defenders have been the subject of global concern for at least two decades, dating back to United Nations resolution 53/144 from 1998 on this subject, the situation appears to be worsening.32 Defenders are still being harassed, threatened, criminalized and murdered in many countries. There are some positive policy and legal developments at the national, regional and international levels, including new laws in Côte d’Ivoire, Honduras, Mali and Peru, the Escazú Agreement and the strong new Human Rights Council resolution 40/11 on environmental human rights defenders. However, the reality on the ground is still of great concern. 58. There is a need to promote the voices of children and youth in environmental matters, as they are particularly vulnerable and their rights are being violated and threatened. It is encouraging, and even inspiring, to witness the incredible blossoming of youth climate activism (such as Fridays for Future and the Youth Climate Summit). Recently, a group of 16 children from around the world filed a petition with the Committee on the Rights of the Child, arguing that climate change is violating a number of their rights.33 The right to a healthy and sustainable environment is of paramount importance to children and youth because they will be living when many of the impacts of climate change, biodiversity loss, water shortages and other environmental challenges are expected to be worse than they are today. 59. Participants discussed the important role of researchers. In addition to strong science, there is a need to ensure that reliable research is communicated to decision-makers and the general public in a timely and accessible way. The summaries for policymakers produced by both the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change and the Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services are good examples of scientific reports that can be widely understood.34 60. There is a need to increase the capacity of civil servants to perform their functions in ways that respect, protect and fulfil the right to a healthy environment. Far too many policies, programmes and administrative decisions fail to address this right adequately or to 31 32 33 34 14 See United Nations Children’s Fund and World Health Organization, Progress on Household Drinking Water, Sanitation and Hygiene 2000–2017: Special Focus on Inequalities (2019). Global Witness, Enemies of the State? How Governments and Businesses Silence Land and Environmental Defenders (2019). Available at www.globalwitness.org/en/campaigns/environmentalactivists/enemies-state/. “16 children, including Greta Thunberg, file landmark complaint to the United Nations Committee on the Right of the Child: child petitioners protest lack of government action on climate crisis”, 23 September 2019. Available at www.unicef.org/press-releases/16-children-including-greta-thunbergfile-landmark-complaint-united-nations. See www.ipcc.ch/site/assets/uploads/sites/4/2019/12/02_Summary-for-Policymakers_SPM.pdf.