World Environment Day – 5 June 2026

BANGKOK/SUVA (4 June 2026) – Climate action must be grounded in legal obligations and human rights accountability, the UN Human Rights Regional Office for Asia and the Pacific says ahead of World Environment Day under this year’s theme: "Inspired by Nature. For Climate. For Our Future."

The joint call follows the landmark UN General Assembly resolution welcoming the Advisory Opinion of the International Court of Justice (ICJ) that firmly establishes climate action as a State obligation under international law – a milestone shaped by the sustained advocacy of Pacific Island Countries and students who fought to bring climate change before the Court.

"Behind every climate statistic in this region is a person losing their land, their health, or their future so that the economy can grow and natural resources can be extracted. States have a legal duty, confirmed by the ICJ, to protect people from the adverse effects of these actions," said Cynthia Veliko, Regional Director, a.i. for Asia and the Pacific.

Across Asia and the Pacific, the impacts of climate change – rising seas, displacement, and the loss of land, livelihoods and culture – are lived realities, threatening the full enjoyment of human rights.

To address this crisis, the Office call for a shift in climate governance: local communities, Indigenous Peoples, and people at risk of being left behind, who are consistently the most affected, must have meaningful participation in shaping their future. This includes national human rights institutions and civil society organizations. 

"Environmental human rights defenders are not standing in the way of development but rather ensuring that it is implemented in a just and sustainable manner. Governments and businesses must move from treating them as adversaries, to valuing and recognizing them as the critical partners and allies they are,” said Veliko.

Asia is at the center of the global energy transition, but too often it comes at the expense of people. Critical mineral mines and renewable energy projects are being undertaken on Indigenous lands and in rural and coastal communities, with devastating environmental fallout, forcing people to leave their homes and livelihoods behind. 

“The energy transition must be just, inclusive, and grounded in human rights – with real safeguards and genuine access to remedy for every community affected," Veliko said.

In the Pacific, deep-seabed mining poses further risks to marine ecosystems, food security, and the rights of Indigenous Peoples and coastal communities whose livelihoods and cultures depend on healthy oceans.

The UN Human Rights Office also underscores that climate finance and other resources must be accessible to the communities most affected. "Pacific communities are not waiting to be saved – they are already leading, adapting, and protecting one another," said Heike Alefsen, Regional Representative for the UN Human Rights Regional Office for the Pacific. 

"Climate finance and other resources must reach the frontline communities and civil society organizations doing this essential work. Donors and governments must ensure that the communities and organizations closest to the crisis are not the last to receive support," Alefsen added.

"On this World Environment Day, we must collectively affirm that a healthy environment is an inalienable human right," Alefsen concluded. "Protecting people and protecting the planet must go hand-in-hand."

ENDS

For more information and media requests, please contact: 

Wannaporn Samutassadong - @email 

X: @OHCHRAsia and @OHCHR_Pacific 

Facebook: OHCHRAsia and UNHumanRightsPacific

Instagram: @ohchr_asia

LinkedIn: ohchr-asia