August 2017 Newsletter From John Knox, Special Rapporteur on Human Rights and the Environment

John H. Knox, UN Special Rapporteur on human rights and the environment (former Independent Expert on Human Rights and the Environment) and Henry C. Lauerman Professor of International Law has been advancing his mandate. (See HERE,  HERE, HERE, and HERE, HERE, HERE,  HERE.  HERE, HERE, and Here).

(John Knox)

Professor Knox has just released his August 2017 newsletter on the progress of the mandate, which includes links to a number of important statements and activities. A section of special note: Professor Knox has contributed to action on the protection of human rights defenders. Here he announces the launch the Spanish-language website for environmental defenders, www.environment-rights.org, in Colombia that is scheduled to be available this fall. In this work he joins a number of other mandates with the work of the High Commissioner, one which I have noted in other posts (e.g., here, and here). His work on environmental access rights in Latin America and the Caribbean is also worth a close look.

The post includes the 16 August 2017 Newsletter of the Special Rapporteaur (with links).

HAUT-COMMISSARIAT AUX DROITS DE L’HOMME • OFFICE OF THE HIGH COMMISSIONER FOR HUMAN RIGHTS

PALAIS DES NATIONS • 1211 GENEVA 10, SWITZERLAND

www.ohchr.org • TEL:  +41 22 917 9159 • FAX:  +41 22 917 9006 • E-MAIL:  srenvironment@ohchr.org

Mandate of the Special Rapporteur on human rights and the environment 

                                                                                16 August 2017

Dear friends and colleagues, 

I hope this finds you all well! This newsletter reports on recent activities in connection with the mandate. 

Children’s rights and the environment.  On 22-23 June, I held an expert meeting and a public side event at the Human Rights Council in Geneva.  The topic of both events was children’s rights, future generations, and the environment.  I am currently preparing a report on the topic, for presentation to the Council next March. In this connection, I have circulated a questionnaire, seeking for inputs from different stakeholders, which is now available online in English, French and Spanish. The deadline to submit a reply is 15 September 2017. 

Mongolia.  I am undertaking a country visit to Mongolia on 19-27 September, and I have posted a request for information here.  If you have experience in Mongolia relating to human rights or the environment, or you have suggestions for contacts, I encourage you to look at the request for information and give us your thoughts by email.   

ECLAC negotiation.  On 31 July-1 August, in Buenos Aires, I spoke at the seventh round of negotiations by 22 Latin American and Caribbean countries, under the auspices of ECLAC/CEPAL, the UN regional organization, towards a new agreement on environmental access rights – that is, the rights to information, participation, and justice in the environmental sphere recognized in Principle 10 of the 1992 Rio Declaration.  I was impressed with the dedication and openness of the participants, and I encouraged them to complete a strong agreement as soon as they can.  In my view, this is one of the most important international negotiations in the last two decades, in human rights as well as the environment.   

Environmental human rights defenders.  On June 20, I participated in a conference at the University of Oxford on forest defenders, organized by N1M (“not 1 more”).  It was inspiring to hear from so many courageous environmental human rights defenders around the world, including Ouch Leng, the 2016 Goldman Prize winner from Cambodia; Laura Zúñiga Cáceres, the daughter of indigenous leader Berta Cáceres, murdered in Honduras in March 2016; and Claudelice Silva dos Santos, the sister of slain Brazilian activists José Cláudio Ribeiro da Silva and Maria do Espírito Santo.   

On 13 July, Global Witness issued its invaluable annual report on the number of environmental and land defenders killed in the previous year.  They reported 200 deaths across 24 countries, an average of four a week, a significant increase over the previous year, and the highest number yet recorded.  Global Witness has joined with the Guardian, a newspaper based in England, in a new project designed to report on these killings more rapidly.  This defenders’ tracker reports that in 2017, more than 100 defenders have already lost their lives.   

Together with the Universal Rights Group, I plan to launch the Spanish-language website for environmental defenders, www.environment-rights.org, in Colombia this fall.   

Report on Madagascar visit. The report on my October 2016 visit to Madagascar, which I presented to the Council in March 2017, is now available in French as well as English here.   

As always, thank you for your interest in and support for the mandate!     
  

Best regards, 
 
John H. Knox 
UN Special Rapporteur on Human Rights and the Environment 
Henry C. Lauerman Professor of International Law 
Wake Forest University School of Law