A/HRC/28/61 implemented by a wide range of actors, including all levels of government, civil society, the private sector, communities and individuals. 13. To be a “good” practice, the practice should integrate human rights and environmental standards, including through the application of human rights norms to environmental decision-making and implementation or the use of environmental measures to define, implement and (preferably) exceed minimum standards set by human rights norms. The practice should be exemplary from the perspectives of human rights and of environmental protection, and there should be evidence that the practice is achieving or working towards achieving its desired objectives and outcomes. 14. The two principal sources for identifying good practices were consultations hosted by the Independent Expert and UNEP, as well as other partners, and a questionnaire seeking good practices that was sent to Governments, international organizations, civil society organizations, and other interested stakeholders. In addition, the Independent Expert identified good practices in his visits to Costa Rica and France. Finally, he sought good practices through additional contacts and research. 15. The consultations took place in every region. Each consultation focused on identifying good practices, as well as clarifying legal obligations and challenges, in one thematic area. Consultations took place in Nairobi in February 2013 on procedural obligations, in Geneva in June 2013 on substantive obligations, in Panama City in July 2013 on obligations relating to vulnerable groups, in Copenhagen in October 2013 on international institutions, in Johannesburg in January 2014 on constitutional environmental rights, in Bangkok in May 2014 on environmental human rights defenders, and in Chamonix/Geneva in July 2014 on climate change. 16. The largest conference, which represented the culmination of the process, was at Yale University from 5 to 7 September 2014. It was hosted by Yale and the United Nations Institute for Training and Research, with assistance from a number of other partners, including UNEP and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP). It brought together more than 150 scholars and policy experts, and more than 100 papers were presented on issues concerning the relationship between human rights and environmental protection.3 17. The Independent Expert sent out the questionnaire in the spring and summer of 2014. It was also made available publicly, and it was sent throughout 2014 to anyone who requested a copy. More than 70 responses were received. 18. As a result of the consultations, country visits, responses to the questionnaire, and other contacts, the Independent Expert heard the views of a very wide spectrum of stakeholders, including Governments, international bodies, national human rights institutions, civil society organizations, corporations and academic scholars, on the use of good practices in the use of human rights obligations relating to the environment. 19. In the second half of 2014, these practices were reviewed, summarized and compiled. For each practice, a one-page summary was prepared that includes the name of the practice, its implementing actors and location, a brief description of the practice, and links to websites where further information about the practice may be found. In some cases, it was possible to supplement the material provided by the submitters, but because the Independent Expert had only limited capacity to verify the information provided in the submissions, many of the summaries primarily depend on the descriptions of the practices provided by the submitters. 3 The papers and other information about the conference are at http://conference.unitar.org/yale2014/. 5