UN’s General Comment no. 26 officially launched in Bangkok

In the presence of the UN Committee on the Rights of the Child, General Comment no. 26 was formally launched in Southeast Asia today at an event hosted by the UNICEF East Asia and Pacific Regional Office in Bangkok.

The new General Comment, which was published in August, explicitly addresses the climate emergency and the related obligations of States to protect the lives and wellbeing of children under the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child for the first time.

The Southeast Asia launch of the Comment was hosted by UNICEF in collaboration with OHCHR, UNEP, Child Rights Coalition Asia, Child Rights International Network, Child Rights Information Center, Save The Children, World Vision and Terre Des Hommes.

In line with the General Comment’s focus on the role of children and youth people in steering the climate discourse around the world, the regional launch in Bangkok was co-convened by young people.

Young advocates from Cambodia and Vietnam also connected virtually to share their climate advocacy experiences and highlight the need for urgent action to address the biodiversity loss and increasing pollution.

The General Comment specifies that States are responsible not only for protecting children’s rights from immediate harm, but also for foreseeable violations of their rights in the future due to States’ acts — or failure to act — today.