AICHR Advances Regional Action on the Right to a Safe, Clean, Healthy and Sustainable Environment

MAKATI CITY, the Philippines, 17 December 2025 — ASEAN advanced its collective efforts to give effect to regional human rights and environmental commitments through the Regional Consultation on Advancing the Right to a Safe, Clean, Healthy and Sustainable Environment in ASEAN, held on 15–16 December 2025 in Makati City, the Philippines.

Led by the Office of the Representative of Thailand to the ASEAN Intergovernmental Commission on Human Rights (AICHR), on behalf of AICHR, the consultation constituted the first region-wide initiative following the adoption of the ASEAN Declaration on the Right to a Safe, Clean, Healthy and Sustainable Environment by ASEAN Leaders at the 47th ASEAN Summit in October 2025. The consultation marked an important step in moving the Declaration from political commitment to structured and practical implementation.

Over the two-day programme, representatives from ASEAN sectoral bodies and entities, the ASEAN Secretariat, national human rights institutions, civil society organisations, academia, youth, indigenous peoples, and organisations of persons with disabilities exchanged views on strengthening rights-based approaches to environmental governance. Discussions addressed, inter alia, access to environmental information, meaningful public participation, access to justice, the protection of people in vulnerable situations, responsible business conduct, and the importance of anchoring regional action in the lived experiences of affected communities.

The consultation underscored that environmental protection and the enjoyment of human rights are indivisible and mutually reinforcing, particularly in the context of climate change, biodiversity loss, and pollution, which continue to have disproportionate impacts on people in vulnerable situations. Participants reaffirmed that while the adoption of the Declaration represents a landmark regional achievement, its credibility and impact will ultimately depend on effective, inclusive, and sustained implementation, notably through the development of a Regional Plan of Action (RPA).

Representatives of ASEAN sectoral bodies and entities emphasised the importance of close cross-sectoral collaboration and alignment with existing sectoral workplans and the broader ASEAN Community Vision. In this regard, the Representative of the Chair of the ASEAN Senior Officials on Environment (ASOEN) highlighted opportunities for aligning the RPA with the forthcoming ASEAN Strategic Plan on Environment Post-2025. Participants stressed that strengthened cooperation between human rights and environmental sectoral bodies is essential to ensure policy coherence, avoid duplication, and translate regional commitments into tangible outcomes.

The consultation further highlighted that the development of the RPA should build upon existing ASEAN mechanisms and initiatives, foster shared ownership among ASEAN Member States, and promote practical cooperation without creating additional institutional burdens. The outcomes of the discussions will inform the continued work of AICHR, ASOEN, and relevant ASEAN sectoral bodies towards the development of a feasible, inclusive, and action-oriented Regional Plan of Action to advance the implementation of the Declaration.

The consultation expressed appreciation to relevant ASEAN sectoral bodies and entities, particularly the ASOEN, as well as to ASEAN Dialogue Partners and development partners, including the European Union and Sweden, and to the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (UNESCAP), the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) and the Danish Institute for Human Rights, for their support and valuable contributions.