United Nations Environment Programme
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Symposium
Towards the right to a healthy environment
22 - 25 October 2018
New York, United States of America
- Overview
- Expert meeting
- Panel Discussion
- Interactive Dialogues at the General Assembly
From 22-26 October 2018, UN Environment will convene a series of meetings in New York, USA. The purpose of the meetings include, inter alia, supporting the first ever presentation of the report of the UN Special Rapporteur on Human Rights and the Environment to the UN General Assembly at the Third Committee on Social, Humanitarian, and Cultural Issues. The report urges the General Assembly to recognize the human right to a safe, clean, healthy and sustainable environment.
The meetings will be as follows:
22nd to 23rd October: Expert meeting on the right to a healthy environment
24th October: Panel Discussion on the right to a healthy environment
25th October: Interactive Dialogues at the Third Committee of the General Assembly at its 73rd session
The newly-appointed Special Rapporteur, David R. Boyd, will convene an expert consultation with a broad range of stakeholders to build on the work achieved by the first Special Rapporteur, John Knox, and deliberate on future measures that would help address current challenges and seize possible opportunities in strengthening human rights promotion in the environmental context.
The expert meeting is convened by the Special Rapporteur and is co-organized by UN Environment, SwedBio, International Development Law Organization and Terres des Hommes.
On 24 October, the UN Special Rapporteur and UN Environment will host a side event titled “Towards the Global Recognition of the Right to a Healthy Environment”. The event will feature an expert panel discussion including David R. Boyd (UN Special Rapporteur), John Knox (former Special Rapporteur), Alicia Barcena (Executive Director, UN ECLAC), Astrid Puentes (AIDA), and Ambassador Alberto Carazo Zeledon (Costa Rica).
The General Assembly allocates to the Third Committee, agenda items relating to a range of social, humanitarian affairs and human rights issues that affect people all over the world. As in previous sessions, an important part of the work of the Committee will focus on the examination of human rights questions, including reports of the special procedures of the Human Rights Council which was established in 2006. In October 2018, the Committee will hear and interact with special rapporteurs, independent experts, and chairs of working groups as mandated by the Human Rights Council.
On 25 October 2018, the Special Rapporteur will present his report during the dialogues.
