Environment Ministry welcomes declaration that access to clean and healthy environment is a universal human right

The Ministry of Environment has welcomed the declaration by the United Nations General Assembly that access to clean and healthy environment is a universal human right.

Director Environment Sandeep Singh says the declaration has further aligned to the work undertaken by the Ministry of Environment in areas of pollution control, environmental loss and damage, biodiversity conservation and sustainable development through the existing legislative frameworks including the Environment Impact Assessment processes and the application of the precautionary principle to ensure that Fijians continue to have access to a clean and healthy environment.

The resolution recognises that the impact of climate change, the unsustainable management and use of natural resources, the pollution of air, land and water, the unsound management of chemicals and waste, and the resulting loss in biodiversity interfere with the enjoyment of this right.