Legal Doctrine · Future Generations
Manuel Castañón del Valle
Originator of the legal doctrine recognizing future generations as rights-holders, and international advocate for the office of the Future Generations Defender.
Future generations have the right to a habitable planet, to institutions that represent them, and to have their interests count today in the decisions that will shape their tomorrow.
Environmental Law attorney
Director of the Environmental Law Department, Seville Bar Association (Spain)
EU Representative of the World League of Environmental Lawyers
President of the Future Generations Foundation
Contributor to the Maastricht Principles on the Human Rights of Future Generations
Collaborator with UNEP (United Nations Environment Programme)
Member of the Legal Experts Group of the IUCN Environmental Law Commission
Academic Merit Medal from the National Autonomous University of Mexico (UNAM)
The doctrine, in one sentence
Future generations are those who do not yet exist but will be born and inherit the planet, and they are unequivocally rights-holders. International law and the domestic law of States must expressly recognize future generations as subjects of law, with their own mechanisms of representation and defense.
Featured proposal
Future generations are rights-holders, and present generations bear obligations toward them. I am driving the creation, in Spain, Latin America, and other parts of the world, of the office of the Future Generations Defender, an independent institution that represents and defends those not yet born, upholding their rights.
Latest milestones
2026
Signing of the “Canary Islands Declaration”
The Government of the Canary Islands makes an institutional commitment to ensure public policies protect future generations.
2026
Conference at the School of International Futures (SOIF)
I had the honor of speaking on effectively building networks for long-term governance at this important international organization.
2026
The Right to a Future website is born
The website presents the legal doctrine that seeks to expressly recognize future generations as subjects of rights and advocates for the creation of the Future Generations Defender.
2026
SOIF Report: “From Promise to Practice”
We took part in the School of International Futures (SOIF) report on the implementation of the UN Declaration on Future Generations, launched in New York.
2026
XXIV International Congress on Environmental Law
With the lecture “Toward a New Paradigm in Environmental Law: Protecting and Defending Future Generations,” I took part in this major congress organized by Universidad de Belgrano, Universidad del Salvador, and UNAM.
In the media
Let’s talk
If you’re interested in the proposal and would like to learn more, collaborate, or simply get in touch, write to me.