Conference on "Children's rights as an opportunity and mandate in climate protection"

On the occasion of International Children's Rights Day on November 20, 2023, the conference "Children's Rights as an Opportunity and Mandate in Climate Protection" will take place for the first time in Austria with attendees from a broad alliance of children's rights, climate protection and research organizations.

The General Comment Nr. 26, emphasizes the urgent need to address the adverse effects of environmental degradation on children’s rights, with a special focus on the climate crises. It furthermore clarifies the obligations of Nation States in this context and explains how children’s rights under the Convention on the Rights of the Child apply to environmental protection, thereby confirming that children have a right to a clean, healthy, and sustainable environment.

Thomas Schinko, Senior Research Scholar and Research Group Leader of IIASA’s Equity and Justice (EQU) Research Group has been invited as a co-organizer of this event based on his experiences in climate change education and empowerment of the youth within the makingAchange project. EQU’s Emma Prantl will share her insights on how a climate-peer training may positively affect the realization of children’s rights amidst the climate crises. Jenan Irshaid, Researcher in EQU, will share her insights on inclusive and integrated climate and sustainability governance and policy and discuss how the consideration of children’s rights can be strengthened.

For more information, please visit the official event website.