Joint statement of United Nations entities on the right to healthy environment Photo by UNEP / 08 Mar 2021 Human Rights Council, 46 Thank you, Madam President. UNEP welcomes the opportunity to deliver this joint statement on behalf of 15 UN entities. See below the list of entities. The right to a healthy environment is recognized by over 150 UN member states, but it has not been formally recognized at the global level thereby delaying achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals, exacerbating inequalities, and creating protection gaps, especially for environmental human rights defenders, children, youth, women, and indigenous peoples who often have been and continue to be agents of change for safeguarding the environment.