A/HRC/RES/45/30 (c) Identifying and eliminating sources of exposure of children to indoor and outdoor air pollution and substances of high concern, such as heavy metals and endocrine disrupting chemicals; (d) Ensuring that all children, in particular girls, are guaranteed protection from occupational exposure to hazardous substances and wastes; (e) Taking all necessary measures to protect children from the health, social, and economic consequences of epidemics and pandemics by integrating the rights of the child into national contingency and recovery plans; 6. Further urges States to take effective measures to ensure that all children in vulnerable situations can exercise their rights on an equal basis with other children, and that the effects of environmental harm do not affect them disproportionately, including by strengthening the collection of disaggregated data, by requiring that childhood exposure monitoring and children’s rights impact assessment procedures take fully into account the impact of proposed policies, programmes and projects on those in the most vulnerable situations, including their gender dimensions, and by providing children at particular risk and their parents, or primary caregivers and legal guardians, with assistance in accessing effective remedies; 7. Urges States to ensure that children have access to justice and timely, effective, inclusive and gender-, disability- and age-responsive remedies when exposed to violations or abuse of their rights through the effects of environmental harm, including by providing relevant information concerning violations and reparation mechanisms, access to effective assistance for children and, where relevant, for and through their parents, caregivers and legal guardians, independent complaints procedures that are child sensitive, and by ensuring effective and prompt reparation of harm suffered and prevention of future violations, inter alia through the remediation of contaminated sites, the cessation of the acts or inaction that give rise to negative impacts, the provision of necessary medical and psychological services and care, the enacting of regulations to stop the production and sale of harmful products and by providing adequate compensation; 8. Calls upon States to consider ratifying the Convention on the Rights of the Child and the Optional Protocols thereto, and calls also for renewed efforts towards their full implementation by all parties; 9. Urges States to create opportunities for children’s inclusive and meaningful participation, in accordance with their evolving capacities, in environmental decision-making processes that are likely to affect their development and survival, including by ensuring girls’ meaningful participation in such processes on an equal basis with boys, by: (a) Taking affirmative action to respect, protect and fulfil the rights of the child to freedom of expression, freedom of association and freedom of peaceful assembly; (b) Developing consultative mechanisms and ensuring that mitigation and adaptation measures are developed with the best interest of the child as a primary consideration, based upon participatory, evidence-based decision-making processes that take into account the views of children; (c) Providing a safe and empowering context for initiatives organized by children and child- and youth-led movements that defend human rights relating to a healthy, safe and sustainable environment, and ensuring their protection from all acts of intimidation, harassment and abuse; (d) Providing for environmental education throughout the educational process of pupils to increase their awareness and understanding of environmental issues and their respect for the natural environment, and to strengthen their knowledge and capacity to respond to environmental challenges, while at all stages of such education taking into account children’s culture, language and environmental situation and by considering the adoption of environmental education strategies and curricula; (e) Providing training on environmental issues to school teachers as to allow them to carry out effective teaching on environmental issues and challenges; 6