HRC61 - EU Statement - Interactive Dialogue with Special Rapporteur on the human right to a clean, healthy and sustainable environment
United Nations Human Rights Council
61st Session
Interactive Dialogue with Special Rapporteur on the human right to a clean, healthy and sustainable environment
6 March 2026
EU statement
Mr. President,
The European Union thanks the Special Rapporteur for her comprehensive and science-based report on clean air and the human right to a clean, healthy and sustainable environment.
We align ourselves with the urgency and clarity of your recommendations.
Air pollution constitutes one of the most pervasive environmental threats to human rights today. As your report underscores, it is linked to between 6 and 8 million premature deaths annually and disproportionately affects children, older persons, pregnant women and persons living in vulnerable situations.
Clean air is indispensable for the enjoyment of the rights to life, health and to a clean, healthy and sustainable environment, as well as human dignity.
The European Union continues to consider how to improve its ambient air quality legislation, with the objective of progressively improving air quality, reinforcing monitoring and assessment, including through clearer standards, and reducing emissions across key sectors such as transport, energy and industry, in order to better protect human health and the environment, hand in hand with social equity, economic resilience and energy security.
As reaffirmed in the recent advisory opinion of the International Court of Justice on climate change, States have a duty to prevent significant harm to the climate system. This entails, in the context of transboundary air pollution, effective impact assessments, precautionary action, and domestic accountability for both public and private sector.
Madame Special Rapporteur,
How can States most effectively integrate human rights-based air quality standards into national climate and energy transition plans, while ensuring that vulnerable communities see tangible health benefits?
Having in mind the Advisory Opinion of the ICJ, what further practical avenues do you see, both on the international and national levels, for the implementation of States' environmental and climate obligations, including those related to a clean air and to a clean and healthy environment?
I thank you.