The Rights of Future Generations after the Summit of the Future
24 October 2024
The Human Rights Law Centre was delighted to co-host this seminar on 'The Rights of Future Generations after the Summit of the Future' with the UN Special Rapporteur on the Right to Development, World Future Council and Child Rights Connect.
On 22-23 September 2024, the United Nations Secretary General hosted a Summit of the Future, bringing world leaders together to forge a new international consensus on how we deliver a better present and safeguard the future. The Summit took place against a backdrop of growing global concern about inter-generational justice and future generations’ rights. A key outcome of the Summit was the adoption of a Pact for the Future, including a Declaration on Future Generations.
Watch a recording of the event here
This timely event, featuring experts drawn from different world regions, explored the prospects for future generations’ rights and international inter-generational justice following the Summit and the Special Rapporteur on the right to development’s recent report on “Right to development of children and future generations” (A/HRC/57/43). Speakers explored questions including: to what extent do the Pact/Declaration move forward protection of future generations’ right in terms of international human rights law and international law more generally? How can the progress made at the Summit be embedded in rights-related decision-making processes at international and national levels? What is left to be done?
The presentations were followed by a Q/A discussion session.
About the Speakers
Surya Deva
Surya took up the role of the UN Special Rapporteur on the right to development on 1 May 2023. He is a Professor at the Macquarie Law School and Director of the Centre for Environmental Law at Macquarie University, Australia. He conducts research in the areas of business and human rights, comparative constitutional law, international human rights law, sustainable development, climate change, and gender equality. He served as a member of the UN Working Group on Business and Human Rights (2016-22). He has advised UN agencies, governments, national human rights institutions, multinational corporations, trade unions and civil society organisations on issues related to business and human rights.
Neshan Gunasekera
Neshan is an international lawyer, educationist, leadership coach, facilitator and environmentalist from Sri Lanka. He is currently a Visiting Fellow at the Raoul Wallenberg Institute of Human Rights and Humanitarian Law in Lund, Sweden, Co-Chair of the Earth Trusteeship Working Group, and Councillor of the World Future Council.
Neshan has supported the work of the World Future Council from its inception in 2007, including as a Policy Advisor to the pioneering work of the Future Justice Commission and supported projects covering a wide array of areas including on the Nuclear-Climate nexus, Crimes Against Future Generations and International Tribunals, Rights of Future Generations and supported the work on the Future Policy Awards. He is currently, Co-Chair of the Peace & Disarmament Commission and the Working Group on the UN Summit of the Future.
Sandra Liebenberg
Sandra is a Distinguished Professor and the HF Oppenheimer Chair in Human Rights Law in the Faculty of Law, University of Stellenbosch, South Africa where she teaches and supervises students in human rights law at both undergraduate and postgraduate levels. Her research focuses on economic, social, and cultural rights as well as the rights to equality and non-discrimination, a healthy environment, and sustainable development.
She is a former member of the UN Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (2017 – 2020), and served as Vice-Chair of this body from 2019 to 2020. During her term on CESCR, she was the Committee’s first Rapporteur on follow-up to Concluding Observations; served on its Working Group on Communications; and was co-rapporteur on the Statement, “The pledge to leave no one behind: the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights and the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development”; as well as the forthcoming General Comment on the economic, social, and cultural rights and sustainable development. She is currently serving as Chair of the Maastricht IV Drafting Committee, an international research and advocacy project to prepare Principles and Guidelines on the Human Rights of Future Generations along with a comprehensive legal commentary.
Aoife Nolan
Aoife is Professor of International Human Rights Law and Director of the Human Rights Law Centre, University of Nottingham.
Aoife's professional experience in human rights and constitutional law straddles the legal, policy, practitioner and academic fields. Her work has focused in particular on children’s rights, economic and social rights, and climate and inter-generational justice. She is President of the Council of Europe's European Committee of Social Rights and has acted as an expert advisor to a wide range of international and national organisations and bodies working on human rights issues, including numerous UN Special Procedures, UN treaty bodies, the Council of Europe, the World Bank multiple NHRIs, NGOs, and national governments. This has included serving as an advisor to the UN Committee on the Rights of the Child on its General Comment No.26 on children’s rights and the environment. She has held visiting positions at academic institutions in Europe, Africa, the US and Australia. She is an Academic Expert member at Doughty Street Chambers where she co-leads the Children’s Rights Group. From 2020- 2023, she led the ACRiSL international research collaboration focused on the theory and practice of child rights strategic litigation, including in the area of climate justice.
Nicole "Cole"
Nicole "Cole" is a Child Advocate from Zimbabwe.