UN passes resolution making clean environment access a human right
The resolution was passed with 43 votes in favour and 4 abstentions prompting a rare burst of applause in the Geneva forum
Villagers walk on a street as the haze shrouds Pulau Mentaro village in Muaro Jambi, on the Indonesian island of Sumatra, September 15, 2015..REUTERS/Beawiharta
The UN Human Rights Council comfortably passed a resolution on Friday that recognises access to a safe and healthy environment as a fundamental right despite criticism in the lead-up to the vote from Britain, the United States and other countries.
The resolution, proposed by Costa Rica, the Maldives, Morocco, Slovenia and Switzerland, was passed with 43 votes in favour and 4 abstentions from Russia, India, China and Japan, prompting a rare burst of applause in the Geneva forum.
Britain, which was among the critics of the proposal in recent negotiations, voted in favour in a surprise move. The United States did not vote since it is not currently a member of the 47-member Council.
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