A/HRC/31/53
national goals, regulations and implementation by national development agencies. UNDP
also has an important capacity-building programme for civil society organizations on
environmental governance that supports their gaining access to information, participation
and remedy. Other examples of national projects that incorporate a rights-based approach
include its support of a constitutional commission on the rights of future generations in
Tunisia, which may be the first of its kind in any country, and the development in China of
an environmental justice programme with the Centre for Legal Assistance to Pollution
Victims.
29.
The work of UNDP on governance provides a particularly useful platform for
cooperation with partners at the local and national levels on issues of human rights and the
environment. UNDP recently launched a programme on strengthening environmental
governance in the extractive sector that includes country-level programmes in Colombia,
Kenya, Mongolia and Tunisia.
30.
UNDP will continue to play a key role in supporting capacity-building for civil
society organizations and State institutions, including the judiciary, on environmental
protection; working with local civil society organizations to develop national assessments
on governance implementation; and setting up round-table discussions to explore links
between local projects and international norms on human rights and environmental
protection. Proposals by other interlocutors included conducting a “lessons learned” study
of the work of UNDP in these related areas, so that its experiences can be more widely
disseminated.
United Nations Children’s Fund
31.
The approach of the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) to environmental
sustainability emphasizes the explicit recognition of children’s rights in the environmental
context, given their vulnerabilities to climate and environmental impacts and their specific
needs. UNICEF has developed many tools, including reports, technical briefings, and
handbooks, to provide technical assistance to partners that are relevant to implementing
children’s rights in relation to the environment. These tools cover a wide range of issues
from water and sanitation to climate change education, sustainable energy and disaster risk
reduction.
32.
At the country level, UNICEF has worked with Governments to incorporate a child
rights approach within national legislation. For example, the UNICEF office in Viet Nam
worked closely with the Government on its 2014 environmental law, which includes a
chapter on green growth and climate change, as well as principles related to the role of civil
society, gender equality and respect for the best interest of children. With UNICEF support,
the Ministry of Education also approved a curriculum for formal education that includes
competencies on environmental education and climate change, promoting children as
critical agents of change. In Zimbabwe, UNICEF supported the development of the
Government’s National Climate Change Response Strategy, which provides a framework
for climate change adaptation and mitigation.
Office of the United Nations High Commissioner of Human Rights
33.
In accordance with requests from the Human Rights Council (Council resolutions
6/20, 12/15, 18/14 and 24/19), OHCHR has convened five biennial meetings of the United
Nations and regional human rights mechanisms to share information and enhance
cooperation. The meetings can focus on specific themes. For example, in 2016, the theme
will be civil society organizations and human rights defenders. For the meeting in 2018,
OHCHR could suggest that the mechanisms consider examining the relationship of human
rights and the environment. A similar opportunity might be provided by the annual meeting
of the International Coordinating Committee of National Institutions for the Promotion and
7
Select target paragraph3
Connect to a paragraph
Connect to an entity
Disable highlights
Add to table of contents