UNHRC Resolution Linked Ocean Pollution to Human Rights

The UNHRC has adopted a resolution recognising the critical connection between plastic pollution, ocean protection and the right to a clean, healthy and sustainable environment.

More About the Resolution

• It was passed by consensus on the final day of the Council’s 58th session being held in Democratic Republic of Congo.
• Influenced By: The Resolution is strongly influenced by a December 2024 report from the UN Special Rapporteur on the right to a healthy environment. 
  • The report portrayed the ocean as a single biome fundamental to life on Earth and to the enjoyment of human rights, particularly for vulnerable groups such as coastal communities and small island developing states.

Key Principles Acknowledged in the Resolution

• Ocean Governance: It calls for a human rights-based approach to ocean governance, with an emphasis on inclusion, participation and the protection of at-risk communities.
  • The resolution explicitly states that plastic pollution, climate change and biodiversity loss are together threatening the health of the world’s oceans and, by extension, imperilling basic human rights.
• Actions Across Plastics Life Cycle: The resolution urged all states to take decisive, coordinated action across the entire plastic life cycle (production to consumption to   disposal) and to recognise the transboundary nature of plastic pollution.
• Precautionary Principle: The precautionary principle needs to be applied to prevent further harm to marine and coastal ecosystems. 
• Human Rights Based Approach: Biodiversity and ecosystem restoration and sustainable management should be guided by a human rights-based approach that ensures transparency, accountability and the meaningful inclusion of affected communities.
• To Integrate Traditional Knowledge: The resolution asks to integrate the traditional knowledge of Indigenous Peoples and local communities into ocean governance, acknowledging their crucial role in the sustainable management of natural resources.
• Climate Resilience Strategies: The resolution also reinforces the need for international cooperation, early warning systems and climate resilience strategies prioritising the world’s most vulnerable populations.

Significance of the resolution

• It positions the Human Rights Council as a bridge-builder, urging nations to embed human rights into ongoing plastic treaty negotiations and the upcoming UN Ocean Conference.
• Inclusive and Justice-Oriented Approach: By explicitly linking ocean degradation and plastic pollution with fundamental human rights, a  groundwork for a more inclusive and justice-oriented approach to environmental protection has been laid.