A/HRC/43/53/Add.1 I. Introduction 1. The Special Rapporteur on the issue of human rights obligations relating to the enjoyment of a safe, clean, healthy and sustainable environment, David R. Boyd, visited Fiji from 7 to 18 December 2018, at the invitation of the Government. The purpose of the visit was to examine how Fiji is implementing its human rights obligations relating to environmental protection, to identify good practices and to consider the environmental challenges the country faces. Fiji is an extraordinarily beautiful country, and the Special Rapporteur was delighted by the warmth, generosity and strong environmental values of everyone he encountered. 2. The paramount environmental challenge facing Fiji is the global climate crisis, which is already having devastating impacts on many small island developing States and least developed countries. Fiji is still recovering from the impact of Tropical Cyclone Winston, a category 5 storm that struck in February 2016, killing 44 people and causing massive destruction. 3. During his visit, the Special Rapporteur met with a wide range of people, including President Jioji Konrote, Attorney-General Aiyaz Sayed-Khaiyum, government ministers and officials, members of Parliament, Chief Justice Anthony Gates, representatives of United Nations agencies and the National Human Rights and Anti-Discrimination Commission, iTaukei landowners, representatives of civil society organizations, and concerned citizens. Most of these meetings were held in Suva, but the Special Rapporteur visited two informal settlements near Lami, called Vuniivi and Qauia, and travelled to the village of Vunidogoloa, the first community in Fiji, and one of the first in the world, relocated because of climate change. He met with a wonderful group of Fijian children (kindly organized by the United Nations Children’s Fund) and also participated in the Attorney-General’s annual law conference in Natadola, where he made two presentations and met with many lawyers and judges. 4. The Special Rapporteur would like to thank the Government of Fiji for its invitation and cooperation throughout the visit. He is particularly grateful to Ambassador Nazhat Shameem Khan and Second Secretary Robyn-Ann Elizabeth Mani for their extraordinary generosity. The Special Rapporteur also thanks the United Nations Resident Coordinator and the country team in Fiji for their invaluable support in arranging the visit. 5. The Special Rapporteur is grateful to the many Fijians he met in Suva, Vunidogoloa, Vuniivi, Qauia and Natadola. He was highly impressed with the government representatives, indigenous peoples, citizen activists, local residents, children and parents who are passionate about the environment in Fiji and steadfastly committed to its protection. II. Legal and policy framework A. International law and policy 6. Fiji ratified the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights and the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights in 2018, and is now a party to all of the major global human rights treaties, including the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women, the Convention on the Rights of the Child and the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities. Environmental protection is essential to fulfilling many of the rights recognized in these agreements, including the rights to life, health, food, water, culture and development. Of critical importance is protecting the rights of those who may be most vulnerable to environmental harms and climate change, including women, children, indigenous peoples, people living in poverty and persons with disabilities. 7. In 2019, Fiji became the first Pacific island nation elected to Rights Council, with a term running through 2021. Fiji pledged recognition of the right to a safe, clean, healthy and sustainable continue to build bridges between the international human rights serve on the Human to champion global environment and to and climate change 3