Symbolic tree-planting ceremonies.
Launch of “General Comment No.26 on children’s rights and the environment with a special focus on climate change”
To ensure General Comment No.26 is representative of the diverse experiences and best interests of children globally, the United Nations Committee on the Rights of the Child has taken a collaborative, intergenerational approach to its development.
To ensure General Comment No.26 is representative of the diverse experiences and best interests of children globally, the United Nations Committee on the Rights of the Child has taken a collaborative, intergenerational approach to its development.
The Committee’s work to develop the General Comment has been supported by a steering group led by terre des hommes in collaboration with various stakeholders, including Children’s Environmental Rights Initiative (CERI), OHCHR and Child Rights Connect, and guided by expert advisors. When launched, General Comment No.26 will be the outcome of remarkable global engagement and serve as a significant milestone towards the realisation of children’s rights in relation to the environment and climate change.
The United Nations Committee on the Rights of the Child will hold a formal launch of General Comment No.26 on Monday, 18 September 2023, during its 94th session at Palais des Nations, in Geneva, Switzerland from 11:30 – 13:00 CEST. The programme is available here.
- For those able to join in person, you must register here.
- The event will be live broadcast and archived at: media.un.org/en/webtv.
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A Global Launch
To complement the official launch event, the General Comment No. 26 steering group together with the Child Advisors invite children, young people and wider global community to host launch activities on (or around) the 18 September 2023 to:
- Raise awareness of General Comment No.26, and promote its implementation
- Recognise and celebrate the global effort that has informed General Comment No.26 – particularly the key role over 16,000 children have played in its development
It is up to you what you would like to do to mark this important milestone for children’s environmental rights! Whatever you choose to do, we invite you to use our hashtags #GC26 #ChildRightsEnvironment, so all activities happening across the world are unified.
Here are a few examples of activities happening already for inspiration.
Social media campaigns using the GC26 launch toolkit.
Participation in climate marches and demonstrations.
Creative workshops using art, music and storytelling to raise awareness of the GC26 in schools and community groups.
Clean-up events including litter pick-ups and beach clean-ups.
Letter-writing to government officials, letting them know about the GC26 and urging them to take action.
