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EU Statement – UN General Assembly 3rd Committee: Interactive Dialogues on climate change and the human right to a clean, healthy and sustainable environment

29.10.2026
New York

29 October 2026, New York – European Union Statement at the United Nations General Assembly 81st Session Third Committee Interactive Dialogue with Special Rapporteur on the human right to a clean, healthy and sustainable environment, Ms. Astrid PUENTES RIAÑO, and Special Rapporteur on the promotion and protection of human rights in the context of climate change, Ms. Elisa MORGERA, and Special Rapporteur on the implications for human rights of the environmentally sound management and disposal of hazardous substances and wastes, Ms. Bethanie Carney Almroth

 

Thank you, Chair.

I have the honour to speak on behalf of the European Union and its Member States.

We thank the Special Rapporteurs for their continued work and reaffirm our support for their mandates.

As confirmed by the ICJ Advisory Opinion, the EU reaffirms that a clean, healthy and sustainable environment is inseparable from the enjoyment of all human rights. We promote a human rights-based approach to climate and environmental action, including to address biodiversity loss and pollution both on land and in water, with particular attention to those most exposed to harm. This process is guided by EU's binding objective to reaching climate neutrality by 2050.

Madam Special Rapporteur Puentes Riano, we thank you for your report on the integration of human rights and environmental protection into planning from the outset.  Long-term planetary stability and human well-being must be prioritised over short-term economic gains.

For a fully just transition, the meaningful participation and full respect of the rights of Indigenous Peoples, as set out in UNDRIP, as well as on women and girls, future generations, persons with disabilities and people living in poverty, is of utmost importance.

Madam Special Rapporteur Morgera, we thank you for your timely report on carbon credits. The EU maintains that credits cannot substitute for substantial and rapid domestic emissions reductions. Any use of credits must ensure environmental integrity, avoid double-counting and protect the rights of local communities. The EU also remains deeply concerned by threats against environmental human rights defenders, including through strategic lawsuits against public participation (SLAPPs).

To Special Rapporteur Puentes Riaño: 

Which practical steps would you prioritise to overcome fragmented planning across sectors and levels of government, and ensure that the participation of affected communities leads to measurable improvements in their enjoyment of the right to a healthy environment?

To Special Rapporteur Morgera: 

Your report calls upon States to determine under which specific conditions certain categories of carbon credit projects could genuinely protect the climate and human rights.  How should this assessment be carried out in practice, and who should be involved, including affected communities?

Thank you.