A/HRC/22/43 to say, the primary effect of these human rights violations is felt by the individuals and communities who suffer from them. But the violations also have secondary effects on the environment that the individuals were trying to protect and on all of those whose full enjoyment of human rights depends upon that environment. 29. The procedural rights that support environmental protection may be found in sources other than human rights instruments. One of the most often-cited sources is principle 10 of the 1992 Rio Declaration, which states: Environmental issues are best handled with participation of all concerned citizens, at the relevant level. At the national level, each individual shall have appropriate access to information concerning the environment that is held by public authorities, including information on hazardous materials and activities in their communities, and the opportunity to participate in decision-making processes. States shall facilitate and encourage public awareness and participation by making information widely available. Effective access to judicial and administrative proceedings, including redress and remedy, shall be provided. 30. Principle 10 has been influential in the development of international and domestic environmental law and policy. The clearest example may be the Aarhus Convention, which sets out detailed obligations with respect to access to information, public participation and access to justice in environmental matters. 31. Although principle 10 does not characterize access to information, opportunity to participate in decision-making and access to legal remedies as human rights, there are obvious parallels between those norms and those of human rights law. More explicitly, the Aarhus Convention does describe access to information, participation and remedies as rights, and provides that each Party shall guarantee them, in accordance with the terms of the Convention, “in order to contribute to the protection of the right of every person of present and future generations to live in an environment adequate to his or her health and well-being” (art. 1). 32. Similarly, although the Rio Declaration does not refer to principles of nondiscrimination in the exercise of procedural rights, it does emphasize the role of certain vulnerable groups, including women, youth, indigenous people and people under oppression, in environmental policymaking (principles 20–23). The Aarhus Convention includes a clear requirement of non-discrimination, stating that within the scope of the Convention, “the public shall have access to information, have the possibility to participate in decision-making and have access to justice in environmental matters without discrimination as to citizenship, nationality or domicile” (art. 3, para. 9). Again, there are strong similarities to requirements of non-discrimination in human rights law. The final outcome of the 2012 United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development (A/CONF.216/16, para. 1, resolution I “The future we want”) connects non-discrimination more explicitly to human rights norms in its treatment of gender equality, citing the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women and stating the resolve of the State participants to “unlock the potential of women as drivers of sustainable development”, including by repealing discriminatory laws and ensuring equal access to justice and legal support (ibid., paras. 236 and 238). 33. The procedural rights of indigenous peoples have received detailed recognition in international instruments. International Labour Organization (ILO) Convention No. 169 (1989) concerning the protection and integration of indigenous and other tribal and semitribal populations in independent countries includes a general requirement that governments consult with the peoples concerned whenever giving consideration to measures that may affect them directly (art. 6). More specifically, it provides for the assessment of environmental impacts of proposed development activities and makes clear that the rights 11

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