The United Nations Development Program and the United Nations Working Group on Business and Human Rights have developed a draft guide for businesses providing practical support and tools for starting an effective human rights due diligence by considering the triple planetary crisis. The reference to the triple planetary crisis includes environmental harms caused by pollution, climate change and biodiversity loss, and the negative impact on human rights.
The UN Human Rights Council recognized the right to a clean, healthy, and sustainable environment as a human right in its resolution 48/13, passed on 22 June 2022. This is a significant milestone in the effort to protect the global environment.
Everyone has the right to a healthy environment
The environment and human rights are interconnected, meaning a clean, healthy, and sustainable environment is essential for the full enjoyment of several human rights. These rights include the right to life, health, food, water, sanitation, development, and more. Moreover, protecting the environment depends on the enjoyment of all human rights, including the rights to information, participation, and access to justice.
The rising temperatures have an impact on the quality of soil and drought affect people’s ability to grow food, earn additional income, and enjoy a better life. Air pollution is seen as one of the contributors to the rising cases of premature deaths. In 2021a around 38 million people have been displaced from their homes with limited or no access to education, healthcare, and housing.
Whilst there is recognition of the role of the states in protecting the right to a healthy environment, businesses play a significant role in respecting the right by adopting a set of measures to protect the environment and human rights.
Business Guide
The guide can serve as a tool for businesses to identify the different stages of the due diligence process from the perspective of the triple planetary crisis. The tool can be used by all businesses regardless of the sector, geographical location, or size and can support designing and implementing human rights due diligence from an environmental perspective. This tool can provide the necessary support for businesses keeping in mind the recent legislative developments requiring businesses to address their potential negative impacts on the environment and human rights.
Conducting human rights due diligence from an environmental perspective is prompted by governments and multi-governmental organizations, law firms, and civil society organizations working with rights-holders, investors, trade unions, end users, and other businesses in the supply chain.
The guide is open for public consultation until 15 January 2024 and can be accessed on this link.
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