Ávarp í panel umræðu um réttindi barnsins

HRC44

Madame President,

I have the honour to deliver this statement on behalf of the Nordic and Baltic countries: Denmark, Estonia, Finland, Latvia, Lithuania, Norway, Sweden and my own country, Iceland.

Our group spoke this morning to the importance of a safe, clean, healthy and sustainable environment. The impact on us and our children is clear and has been highlighted by our panelists and we are thankful for their contribution.

We also spoke to the importance of acting and acting together. This should include children and young people and recognizing their contribution to a healthy environment.

Madame President,

A concrete measure for action for today´s discussion was adopted in 1998 in the form of the Aarhus convention. It still carries a valuable message. It underlined the right of everyone to receive information on the environment and decisions taken that may affect it. But it also importantly sets out the right to participate in such decision-making on environmental issues.

This is a valuable commitment when it comes to our children and young persons. In our countries we have taken various measures based on those principles to include children and young people in conversations on environmental and climate change but we recognize that we need to do more.

The question to the panelists we would therefore have is how do we best communicate effectively to children and young people on environmental and climate change and how do we ensure their meaningful participation in decisions affecting their future?

I thank you.