The ASEAN Declaration on Environmental Rights: Children’s focus group discussion in the Philippines

The draft ASEAN Declaration on Environmental Rights is being developed by the ASEAN Environmental Rights Working Group in line with the international norms and standards on the rights to a safe, clean, healthy, and sustainable environment. Stakeholders have been invited to submit inputs for this declaration. With this, a children’s focus group discussion was held last 16 March 2024, in Quezon City, Philippines.

The participants were fourteen adolescent boys and girls aged 14 to 17 and came from various regions in the country, as well as geographically isolated and disadvantaged areas (GIDA) and included representatives from indigenous communities, children with disabilities, and those representing diverse Sexual Orientation, Gender Identity, and Expression (SOGIE). The participants were organized into four groups to engage in discussions facilitated through a World Café and each group’s outcomes were presented creatively in the form of spoken poetry.

The activity was organized by Save the Children Philippines with support from its Asia Regional Office, and participation from Child Rights Coalition Asia, Gitib Inc., and Terre des hommes. This documentation report was compiled and written by Kim Rodriguez, Lei Tapang, Maricel Hilario-Patino, and Taskin Rahman.