04-02-2025

Ensuring a just and sustainable future requires recognising and protecting the rights of those yet to be born. The Commentary to the Maastricht Principles on the Human Rights of Future Generations provides an original framework to address this need. Set to be published in Human Rights Quarterly (August 2025), this comprehensive analysis strengthens the case for intergenerational justice and sustainability, and it is a crucial contribution to the evolving legal and ethical discourse on intergenerational justice and sustainability.

Why This Matters

Historically, human rights law has focused primarily on the present, often neglecting the long-term impact of decisions on those yet to be born. However, the Maastricht Principles seek to bridge this gap, charting the path for a robust legal framework that reaffirms the responsibility of states, businesses, and other actors to respect and uphold the rights of future generations.

The Commentary provides an in-depth analysis of these Principles, elaborating on their legal basis, state obligations, and accountability mechanisms. It also underscores the importance of Indigenous perspectives, environmental sustainability, and intergenerational equity in shaping policies that safeguard the well-being of both current and future populations.

A Call to Action

As climate change, resource depletion, and global inequality threaten the rights of future generations, this publication serves as a timely and essential resource. It reinforces the idea that ensuring a just and sustainable world is not just a moral imperative but a legal obligation.

The Good Lobby has been at the forefront of advocating for intergenerational justice, co-launching the Future Generations Initiative. This initiative is dedicated to embedding the rights of future generations in EU policymaking and governance, ensuring that long-term thinking remains at the heart of decision-making.

We invite policymakers, activists, legal scholars, and all advocates for social justice to explore this pivotal work and integrate its insights into their efforts.

Read the full publication here.