United Nations General Assembly, Human Rights Council: Women, girls and the right to a clean, healthy and sustainable environment

The triple planetary crisis, combined with systemic gender-based discrimination, patriarchal norms and inequality, is imposing distinct and disproportionate harms on women and girls, threatening and violating their human rights, including the right to a clean, healthy and sustainable environment. To achieve gender equality and ecological sustainability, States must tackle gender-based discrimination and environmental injustices with urgent, gender- transformative, rights-based climate and environmental action. In the present report, the Special Rapporteur describes State obligations, business responsibilities and the potential benefits of achieving gender equality and ecological sustainability. He makes recommendations related to dismantling systemic discrimination, empowering women and girls as climate and environmental leaders and ensuring that women and girls are able to fully enjoy their right to a clean, healthy and sustainable environment.