Governments in Southeast Asia are being urged to implement a new ASEAN declaration on the right to a 'safe, clean, healthy, and sustainable environment' at a time when the region is warming nearly twice as fast as the global average, Save the Children said1.
The landmark declaration, which was published overnight, is the first by ASEAN, the regional organisation of Southeast Asian nations, to recognise the right to a 'safe, clean, healthy, and sustainable environment' as a human right for present and future generations2.
The document promotes children's rights to 'meaningful public participation' in environmental decision making, and states that environmental degradation constitutes a 'serious threat' for future generations' human rights.
It's intended that governments in Southeast Asia will use it as a framework for respecting and promoting environmental rights in individual states. The declaration is not legally binding but aims to 'promote the implementation of environmental law' in member states and improve efforts to reduce the degradation of the environment.
Save the Children and partners played a key role in ensuring the inclusion of children's and young people's voices in drafting the declaration through multi-country consultations. The child rights organisation also contributed expert insights during the development of the document3.
Temperatures in Asia are continuing to rise above the global average, with the 1991–2024 trend almost double that of the previous 30 years, according to the World Meteorological Organization.
In 2024, sea surface temperatures in the region were the highest on record, glacier melting accelerated and sea level rises exceeded the global average, increasing the risk of flooding for coastal area1. Asia and the Pacific also account for more than half of global greenhouse gas emissions4.
Vishna Shah-Little, Director, Child Rights, Save the Children said:
"This landmark declaration is a timely and vital step forward in ensuring children's right to a safe, clean and sustainable environment.
"Governments in Southeast Asia now need to ensure they use the declaration's framework to reform national policies and recognise that environmental rights are human rights.
"We must see urgent action on all fronts to rapidly phase out the use and subsidy of fossil fuels – as well as placing children's rights, voices and needs at the heart of climate finance and loss and damage funding arrangements.
We will continue to support ASEAN and ensure children play an active role in shaping a sustainable future."
