A/HRC/31/53
has introduced human rights concerns into side events at UNEP meetings. The second
meeting of the United Nations Environment Assembly, in May 2016, will provide another
opportunity to increase awareness among Governments and other stakeholders and promote
the implementation of human rights obligations relating to the environment.
24.
Throughout the mandate of the Special Rapporteur, UNEP has been a key partner in
his work to identify and disseminate information about good practices in the use of human
rights obligations relating to environmental protection. UNEP supported the regional
consultations and expert meetings that provided much of the basis for the report on good
practices presented to the Human Rights Council in March 2015. Participants in the expert
meeting encouraged UNEP to continue to identify and disseminate such good practices,
including in particular the good practices of corporations.
25.
UNEP has also contributed in many ways to mainstreaming a human rights
perspective in environmental governance. For example, in 2010, the UNEP Governing
Council adopted the Bali Guidelines for the Development of National Legislation on
Access to Information, Public Participation and Access to Justice in Environmental Matters,
comprising 26 voluntary guidelines for States on promoting the effective implementation of
Principle 10 of the 1992 Rio Declaration on Environment and Development within their
national legislative frameworks. Although Principle 10 does not explicitly refer to human
rights, its implementation furthers the realization of human rights to information,
participation and effective remedy. In 2015, UNEP published a guide to the Bali Guidelines
that includes case examples and jurisprudence from a wide range of national and
international practice.5
26.
Going forward, UNEP has identified several areas in which it can continue to
contribute to the mainstreaming of a human rights perspective in environmental
policymaking. For example, it intends to work with the Special Rapporteur and OHCHR, as
well as other partners, to mainstream environmental and human rights norms in the
implementation and monitoring of the Sustainable Development Goals. In addition,
participants at the expert meeting suggested that UNEP could examine how human rights
could be mainstreamed into environmental impact assessments, including under multilateral
environmental agreements. Other areas of potential cooperation with other partners are
described below.
United Nations Development Programme
27.
The work of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) is highly
relevant to the implementation of rights related to the environment. UNDP has extensive
experience building capacities for implementing global norms and frameworks, including
through providing technical assistance to implement multilateral environmental agreements.
Furthermore, its strategic plan for 2014-2017, which is geared towards the post-2015
development agenda, incorporates human rights and environmental concerns, particularly in
relation to marginalized persons and communities living in vulnerable situations. 6
28.
UNDP incorporates a human rights perspective into its environmental capacitybuilding in many respects. For example, UNDP provides capacity development on the role
of parliaments on scaling up financing for the green agenda and providing oversight of
5
6
6
Putting Rio Principle 10 into Action: An Implementation Guide for the UNEP Bali Guidelines
(October 2015). Available from www.unep.org/civil-society/Implementation/Principle10/
tabid/105013/Default.aspx.
See UNDP, Environmental Justice: Comparative Experiences in Legal Empowerment. Available
from www.undp.org/content/undp/en/home/librarypage/democraticgovernance/access_to_justiceandruleoflaw/environmental-justice---comparative-experiences/.
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