From now a clean and healthy environment is a human right.
Russia, India, China and Japan abstained
on Friday Michelle Bachelet (high commissioner for human rights of the UN) recognized that access to a clean, healthy and sustainable environment is a human right.
While some countries such as US and UK surprisingly criticized and others like Russia, China, India and Japan abstained , The “clean environment resolution” which was proposed by Costa Rica, Maldives, Switzerland, Morocco and Slovenia successfully passed with the support of 43 votes.
This new resolution also urges countries to work their way on improving their environment.
The deputy director for UN – lucy McKernan – noticed that “Global recognition of this right will help empower local communities to defend their livelihoods, health, and culture against environmental destruction, and help governments develop stronger and more coherent environmental protection laws and policies,”
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Photo : UN Photo/Jean-Marc Ferré
