Mapping Environmental Justice

19 March 2014

Barbara Ruis

Legal Officer

United Nations Environment Programme

Challenges at the International Level

Human Rights Council

Resolution 19/10 (2012): Decision to appoint an Independent Expert on the issue of human rights obligations relating to the enjoyment of a safe, clean, healthy and sustainable environment

• Study the human rights obligations regarding the right to a healthy environment

• Identify, promote and exchange views on best practices regarding human rights commitments

• Prepare a compendium of best practices

• Recommendations on Millennium Development Goal 7 (environmental sustainability)

• Contribute a human rights perspective to follow-up processes of Rio+20

http://www.unep.org/delc/

UNEP Compendium on Human Rights and the Environment

TABLE OF CONTENTS

• Part 1: Instruments

– Human Rights Law Instruments

Global Human Rights Instruments Legally Binding Instruments Non-Legally Binding Instruments

Regional Human Rights Instruments

– Environmental Law Instruments

Global Environmental Law Instruments Legally Binding Instruments Non-Legally Binding Instruments

Regional Environmental Law Instruments Legally Binding Instruments Africa

Europe

Americas

Asia and the Pacific

http://www.unep.org/delc/

• Part 2: Decisions of International Tribunals and Other Bodies

– Decisions of Regional Bodies

African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights African Court on Human Rights and Peoples’ Rights Economic Community of West African States: Community Court of Justice European Committee on Social Rights European Court of Human Rights Court of Justice of the European Union Inter-American Court of Human Rights

– Decisions of Global Bodies

Human Rights Committee International Court of Justice World Bank Inspection Panel

http://www.unep.org/delc/

Environmental Human Rights Defenders

Special Rapporteur on the situation of Human Rights Defenders:

Defenders working on land and environmental issues are highly exposed to attacks on their physical integrity, often by non-State actors, and many are killed because of their work on the environmental impact of extractive industries and development projects, or the right to land of indigenous peoples and minorities.

What are the particular challenges faced by Environmental Human Rights Defenders, how might the international community best support them?

Environmental Rule of Law

UNEP GC Decision 27/9 (2013) on Advancing Justice, Governance and Law for Environmental Sustainability:

‘the violation of environmental law has the potential to undermine sustainable development and the implementation of agreed environmental goals and objectives at all levels and that the rule of law and effective governance play an essential role in reducing such violations’.

The first internationally negotiated document to establish the term ‘environmental rule of law’

UNEP LIVE

UNEP Live knowledge platform: Aimed to provide environmental data to the public and policy makers

Users will have access to information from UNEP, national and regional resources and other knowledge and data providers

Full and open access to information to people around the world.

Mapping, publications, thematic content, charts, country data and improved search functions, available in several languages

UNEP Live will also be opened to crowdsourcing

www.uneplive.org

Thank you

Barbara.ruis@unep.org