Other Helpful Resources on Children and Youth

1. Basel, Rotterdam and Stockholm Conventions-related documents and initiatives

• 2026 International Youth Day and the Basel, Rotterdam and Stockholm Conventions: https://www.youtube.com/shorts/CPIzsB7goTQ
• 2026 Consultative Dialogue for the Development of a Strategy on Children and Youth Engagement under the Basel, Rotterdam and Stockholm Conventions (BRS Secretariat/Policy & Strategy Unit/ M.C. Cardenas, M.A. Taoufiq-C., L.D. Faradiba):
• https://www.brsmeas.org/Default.aspx?tabid=3574&meetId=65D8DDB3-6371-F111-90DB-005056A3140F&lang=en
• 2025 COPs meetings side-event programme (example of youth/children involvement): https://www.basel.int/Portals/4/download.aspx?d=UNEP-FAO-CHW-RC-POPS-COPS2025-PRESEN-SIDE.04C-CYI-01-Programme.English.pdf
• 2022 COPs meetings side-event: Children and their Exposure to Pesticides and Other Hazardous Chemicals: https://www.genevaenvironmentnetwork.org/events/children-and-their-exposure-to-pesticides-and-other-hazardous-chemicals-brs-cops-side-event/
  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TlnLzztjQNM
• Webinar series on "Children and exposure to hazardous pesticides: risk reduction strategies and human rights-based approach" in English, Spanish, French (Special Rapporteur on Toxics and Human Rights M. Orellana, BRS/FAO/N. Correale, BRS/UNEP/M. A. Taoufiq-C.): https://www.brsmeas.org/Default.aspx?tabid=3574&meetId=A42ACEE9-D0B6-EA11-9CF3-005056857856
• BRS Secretariat contributes to consultation on children’s rights and the environment by UN Special Rapporteur (BRS MEAs News Feature, June 2017):
  https://www.brsmeas.org/MediaHub/News/NewsFeatures/Soundmanagementofchemicalsandwaste/tabid/6063/language/en-GB/Default.aspx
• Opening Speech of the 2017 BRS COPs High-Level Segment by Kate Gilmore (United Nations Deputy High Commissioner for Human Rights): https://www.brsmeas.org/Default.aspx?tabid=5945
• 2017 COPs meetings: “Human rights, Children’s Rights, and Hazardous Substances & Wastes” (UNEP-FAO-CHW-RC-POPS-COPS2017-SIDE12A-UNEP-FAO-BRS-AGEN.English%20(1).pdf)
  Linkages between children, human rights, and chemicals and wastes (2016):
  https://www.brsmeas.org/Default.aspx?tabid=5335
• The Silent Pandemic: Toxic Substance Exposure - A Silent Epidemic Facing Children (BRS MEAs News Feature, September 2016):
  https://www.brsmeas.org/MediaHub/News/NewsFeatures/TheSilentPandemic/tabid/5322/language/en-US/Default.aspx
• 2015 COPs meetings: “Linkages between human rights and hazardous substances and wastes, and vulnerable groups - Considering socio-economic impacts of chemicals management: protecting vulnerable groups from hazardous pesticides”, event co-hosted by the BRS Secretariat (M. A. Taoufiq), UNEP Regional Office for Europe (ROE) (B. Ruis), and the UN Special Rapporteur on human rights and hazardous substance (B. Tuncak):
  https://www.brsmeas.org/Decisionmaking/COPsandExCOPs/2015COPs/SideEvents/tabid/4656/language/en-US/Default.aspx
• “The Future We Don’t Need: Eliminating the Impacts of Hazardous Wastes on our Children”, by the Basel Convention Regional Centre for the Caribbean Region in Trinidad and Tobago (J. Jones) (2015):
  https://www.brsmeas.org/ManagementReports/Gender/GenderHeroes/GenderofHeroesinTrinidadandTobago/tabid/4792/language/en-US/Default.aspx
• 2011 Stockholm Convention 10th Anniversary Global Art Contest for Children and Youth: https://chm.pops.int/TheConvention/Overview/10thAnniversary/10thanniversaryglobalartcontest/tabid/2353/Default.aspx

2. Other Multilateral Environmental Agreements (MEAs)

• The Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD), children and youth: https://www.cbd.int/youth.
• The Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES), children and youth:
  - Youth Engagement Resolution (COP 20): https://cites.org/sites/default/files/documents/COP/20/resolution/E-Res-17-05-R20.pdf 
  - CITES Global Youth Network (strategic matters): https://cites.org/sites/default/files/documents/E-CoP20-026.pdf and https://cites.org/eng/news/cites-global-youth-network-launch-singapore-leadership-programme-2024.
• The Minamata Convention, children and youth: https://minamataconvention.org/en/topics/youth.
• The Ramsar Convention on Wetlands, children and youth: https://www.youthengagedinwetlands.com/ramsar
  https://www.ramsar.org/document/youth-working-group-workplan
• The UN Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD), children and youth: https://www.unccd.int/land-and-life/youth/overview and https://www.unccd.int/resources/other/unccd-youth-engagement-strategy.
• The UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), children and youth: https://unfccc.int/topics/action-for-climate-empowerment-children-and-youth/youth/youngo.

3. United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP)

• UNEA 7 Resolution on enhancing the meaningful participation of youth in environmental processes, and enhancing environmental education: https://docs.un.org/en/UNEP/EA.7/Res.6.
• UNEP: Youth, Education, and Environment: https://www.unep.org/topics/youth-education-and-environment
• UNEP: Children and Youth:
  https://www.unep.org/civil-society-engagement/major-groups-modalities/major-group-categories/children-and-youth
• UNEP Study / SAICM Platform: Harmful Chemicals Found in 25% of Children's Toys: https://saicmknowledge.org/articles/harmful-chemicals-found-25-childrens-toys-unep-study-finds
• Geneva Environment Network (GEN): Youth and the Environment:
  https://www.genevaenvironmentnetwork.org/resources/updates/youth-and-the-environment/
• GEN: Human Rights, Hazardous Substances, and the Role of Geneva: https://www.genevaenvironmentnetwork.org/resources/updates/human-rights-hazardous-substances-and-the-role-of-geneva/
  https://www.genevaenvironmentnetwork.org/events/geneva-beat-plastic-pollution-dialogues-plastics-and-human-rights/

3. Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) – UN Human Rights Council (HRC) / Special Procedures - UN Special Rapporteurs

• OHCHR: Young activists fighting hazardous chemicals and wastes: https://www.ohchr.org/en/stories/2025/05/meet-young-activists-fighting-hazardous-chemicals-and-waste
• Vulnerable groups and toxic exposure: https://www.ohchr.org/en/special-procedures/sr-toxics-and-human-rights/vulnerable-groups-and-toxic-exposures
• Special Rapporteur on ‘Toxics and Human Rights’: https://www.ohchr.org/en/special-procedures/sr-toxics-and-human-rights
• Special Rapporteur on the Human Right to a Healthy Environment (formerly on the Environment & Human Rights): https://www.ohchr.org/en/special-procedures/sr-environment
• A/HRC/37/58: Report on the rights of children and the environment (2018):
  https://www.ohchr.org/en/special-procedures/sr-environment/childrens-rights-and-environment
• A/HRC/33/41: Report on the rights of the child and hazardous substances and wastes (2016): https://www.ohchr.org/en/documents/thematic-reports/ahrc3341-report-rights-child-and-hazardous-substances-and-wastes
• Committee on the Rights of the Child’s Day of General Discussion: Children’s Rights and the Environment - Inputs - Secretariat of the BRS Conventions: The rights of Children, the Environment and the Basel, Rotterdam and Stockholm (BRS) Conventions on Hazardous Chemicals and Wastes (M. A. Taoufiq-C.; M. Simon) (2016):
  https://www.ohchr.org/en/events/days-general-discussion-dgd/2016/2016-day-general-discussion-childrens-rights-and
• Toxic substance exposure a “silent epidemic” facing children (September 2016): https://www.ohchr.org/en/stories/2016/09/toxic-substance-exposure-silent-epidemic-facing-children

4. Other UN Common System Entities

• FAO: Protecting Children from Pesticides! - Visual Facilitator’s Guide: https://www.fao.org/sustainable-food-value-chains/training-and-learning-center/details-materials/en/c/327827/
• FAO: Hazardous Child Labour: Contribution to Protecting Children from Pesticide Exposure: https://openknowledge.fao.org/handle/20.500.14283/au046e
• UNICEF: Healthy environments for healthy children: https://www.unicef.org/health/healthy-environments
• UNICEF: ‘Children Are Everyone’s Business: Workbook 2.0 - A guide for integrating children’s rights into policies, impact assessments and sustainability reporting: https://www.unicef.org/childrightsandbusiness/reports/children-are-everyones-business-workbook
• WHO: Don’t pollute my future! The impact of the environment on children’s health: https://www.who.int/publications/i/item/WHO-FWC-IHE-17.01 (2017)
• WHO:  Inheriting a sustainable world? Atlas on children’s health and the environment: https://www.who.int/publications/i/item/9789241511773 (2017)
• WHO: The cost of a polluted environment: 1.7 million child deaths a year: https://www.who.int/news/item/06-03-2017-the-cost-of-a-polluted-environment-1-7-millionchild-deaths-a-year-says-who

5. Children and Youth Activities

• UN Major Group for Children and Youth / International Institute for Sustainable Development (IISD)/GEN Coverage: Youth Forum on Chemicals Governance 2023: https://enb.iisd.org/youth-forum-chemicals-governance-2023
• Youth Forum organised by the Chemicals and Waste Youth Platform (CWYP) at the BRS Conventions COPs meetings in 2025 / Global Environment Facility (GEF) Coverage: https://www.thegef.org/newsroom/feature-stories/youth-forum-highlights-generational-effects-pollution.