A/HRC/7/21 page 4 I. INTRODUCTION 1. The present report is submitted in accordance with General Assembly resolution 60/251 and Human Rights Council resolution 5/1. 2. The Commission on Human Rights adopted its first resolution on the adverse effects of the illicit movement and dumping of toxic and dangerous products and wastes on the enjoyment of human rights in 1995. In its resolution 1995/81, the Commission affirmed that the illicit traffic and the dumping of toxic and dangerous products and wastes constituted a serious threat to the rights to life and health, and it established the mandate of the Special Rapporteur to analyse the adverse effects on human rights of such phenomena. The Commission adopted yearly resolutions on this issue. By its resolution 2004/17, it extended the mandate of the Special Rapporteur for an additional three years. 3. In his first report as mandate-holder (E/CN.4/2005/45), the Special Rapporteur, Okechukwu Ibeanu, informed the Commission that he intended to adopt a thematic focus in his forthcoming reports. He identified criteria such as the extent and gravity of actual or potential human rights violations arising from a particular issue, and whether an analysis from the perspective of victims of human rights violations could add impetus to international efforts to address a particular issue, to be applied when choosing the thematic issues on which to focus his reports. 4. Previous reports submitted to the Commission pursuant to the Special Rapporteur’s mandate have addressed a variety of issues, including the adverse effects on human rights resulting from exposure to hazardous chemicals, particularly pesticides. Other reports have included information about the elaborate, multilateral legal framework adopted or being developed in the sphere of international environmental law with a view to preventing adverse effects on humans and the environment from exposure to some of the most dangerous chemicals. In his previous report to the Council, the Special Rapporteur chose to focus on the impact of armed conflict on exposure to toxic and dangerous products and wastes. Although war has always had an adverse effect on the environment, the voluntary or incidental release of toxic and dangerous products in contemporary armed conflicts has an important adverse effect on the enjoyment of human rights. 5. In the present report, the Special Rapporteur has chosen to focus on the right to information and participation. Access to and communication of information about toxic and dangerous products and wastes and their effects on the environment are essential to guarantee certain other rights, such as the rights to life, to health and to adequate food. 6. The first addendum to the present report contains a summary of communications sent to and replies received from Governments and other stakeholders in 2006 and 2007.