The Legal Recognition of the Rights ofFuture Generations within International Law

Abstract

While individuals are entitled to a wide range of legally recognized rights, certain rights are collective in nature, grounded in the principle of solidarity and belonging to humanity as a whole. These solidarity rights extend beyond temporal boundaries, binding both present and future generations. The current generation, therefore, carries a legal and moral obligation to preserve and safeguard such rights in a way that ensures their effective enjoyment by future generations. This imperative highlights the need for an international legal framework that explicitly recognizes and protects the rights of future generations, thereby advancing the principle of intergenerational justice and ensuring the sustainability of humanity’s common heritage.