Following the CESCR's invitation to stakeholders to present inputs and comments on the draft General Comment No. 27 on Economic, Social, and Cultural Rights and the Environmental Dimension of Sustainable Development of the Committee on Economic, Social, and Cultural Rights (CESCR), we presented a submission aiming to strengthen the draft's considerations of just transitions and the potential right to sustainable energy.

The submission highlights that a "just transition" is a critical framework for addressing eco-social challenges in the shift to sustainable energy systems. The presentation stresses that although the concept arose in the 1970s from labour movements, the notion has nowadays evolved beyond workers' rights to encompass broader social and environmental justice concerns. A just transition framework implies advancing policies that address the interconnected causes of inequality and environmental degradation and ensure that the most marginalised are placed at the centre of environmental policy. It underscores the need to prevent replicating inequalities or perpetuating human rights abuses, aligning with international human rights law obligations to achieve economic, social, and cultural rights within planetary boundaries. The submission underscores the importance of advancing a broad understanding of this concept through the general comment.

It also suggests that the Committee consider the importance of recognising sustainable energy as a fundamental human right, essential for achieving adequate living standards and addressing socio-economic inequalities. The presentation stresses that energy access is critical for powering households, public services, and industries and that its lack exacerbates poverty and marginalisation. 

Additionally, it underscores the urgency of transitioning from fossil fuel-based energy systems to clean, renewable, and efficient technologies in response to the escalating climate emergency. In light of how essential energy access is to guarantee well-being and the need to advance a transition towards clean, renewable, and efficient energy, the submission highlights that sustainable energy must be recognised as a fundamental human right, essential for achieving sustainable development and ensuring the full realisation of economic, social, and cultural rights.

You may read the submission here: