Mise à jour: 22 Mar 2024

The special procedures of the Human Rights Council and other bodies of the council, as well as the Office of the High Commissioner and other human rights bodies regularly call for inputs for the reports in preparation. Find here the calls related to the environment.

Special Procedures of the Human Rights Council

The special procedures of the Human Rights Council are independent human rights experts with mandates to report and advise on human rights from a thematic or country-specific perspective. They are non-paid and elected for 3-year mandates that can be reconducted for another three years. As of October 2021, there are 45 thematic and 13 country mandates.

With the support of the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR), special procedures:

  • undertake country visits
  • act on individual cases of reported violations and concerns of a broader nature by sending communications to States and others
  • conduct annual thematic studies, seek information from calls for input and convene expert consultations
  • contribute to the development of international human rights standards, and
  • engage in advocacy, raise public awareness, and provide advice for technical cooperation.

Special Rapporteur on human rights and the environment

The Human Rights Council established the mandate for the Independent Expert on human rights and the environment in 2012 (resolution 19/10). The mandate on human rights and the environment exists to:

  • examine the human rights obligations relating to the enjoyment of a safe, clean, healthy and sustainable environment
  • promote best practices of the use of human rights in environmental policymaking
  • identify challenges and obstacles to the global recognition and implementation of the right to a safe, clean, healthy and sustainable environment
  • Conduct country visits and respond to human rights violations

In March 2018, the Human Rights Council further extended the mandate (resolution 37/8) and appointed David R. Boyd as the Special Rapporteur for three years. In March 2021 the Human Rights Council extended the mandate for another three years (resolution 46/7). His career has included serving as the executive director of Ecojustice, appearing before the Supreme Court of Canada, and working as a special advisor on sustainability for Canadian Prime Minister Paul Martin.

Calls for submissions

There are currently no calls for submissions.

Special Rapporteur on the promotion and protection of human rights in the context of climate change

Ian Fry was the first Special Rapporteur on the promotion and protection of human rights in the context of climate change. Following the adoption of a resolution at the 48th session of the Human Rights Council (resolution 48/14), Ian Fry was appointed for a three-year term with the following mandate:

  • Study and identify how the adverse effects of climate change, affect the full and effective enjoyment of human rights
  • Identify existing challenges, including financial challenges, of States’ efforts
  • Synthesize knowledge, including indigenous and local traditional knowledge, and identify good practices, strategies and policies
  • Promote and exchange views on lessons learned and best practices
  • Raise awareness on the human rights affected by climate change, especially of persons living in developing countries particularly vulnerable
  • Facilitate and contribute to the exchange of technical assistance, capacity-building and international cooperation in support of national efforts
  • Integrate a gender-responsive, age-sensitive, disability inclusive and social-inclusion perspective
  • Work closely with States and relevant stakeholders, including business enterprises to adopt a human rights perspective

Calls for submissions

There are currently no calls for submissions.

Special Rapporteur on toxics and human rights

The exposure of people to a myriad of harmful substances without their prior informed consent is a human rights issue. However, it is a human rights issue for which solutions exist. The mandate of the Special Rapporteur on toxics and human rights seeks to help States, businesses and other stakeholders adopt such solutions.

Dr Marcos A. Orellana was appointed Special Rapporteur on toxics and human rights in August 2020. He is an expert in international law and the law on human rights and the environment. His practice as legal advisor has included work with United Nations agencies, governments and non-governmental organizations.

Call for submissions

Pollution Information Portals and the right to know: Strengthening access to information on releases of hazardous substances

Over the past few decades, there has been a broader understanding that access to information is intrinsically linked to the enjoyment of a clean, healthy and sustainable environment. The rights of individuals and communities to access environmental information, participate in decision-making processes, and seek justice in environmental matters are recognized as key components of the right to a clean, healthy and sustainable environment. The environmental governance landscape has also witnessed a growing recognition of the intricate connection between business activities, information on pollutant/pollution releases and transfers, and human rights.

Various types of Pollution Information Portals have emerged as pivotal tools for advancing the right to know about the environmental and health hazards posed by releases of hazardous substances. While the specific features of Pollution Information Portals vary, they generally provide data on the release of pollutants and the generation of wastes from industrial sources and business activities.

Against this background, in his upcoming report, the Special Rapporteur seeks to explore the functions of Pollution Information Portals and identify good practices in their design and implementation. The report will also critically assess the limitations and shortcomings of existing models of Pollution Information Portals. The report will include recommendations to help States establish or strengthen or integrate Pollution Information Portals.

The deadline for submission is 22 March 2024. Submit your input

Gender and Toxics

Exposure to toxics and hazardous substances is a major and growing problem worldwide, and one that has important impacts on culture, work, income, valued nature, health across the life course, including sexual and reproductive health, and individual and community wellbeing. Harms resulting from exposure to hazardous substances is not equally distributed among people and places, however.

Women and girls exposure to chemicals and their conditions are highly affected by biological, socio-economic and gendered differences. Men and boys may also experience the consequences of exposure to toxics in a differentiated way due to biological vulnerabilities and societal or cultural expectations.  Similarly, persons of diverse gender identities and sexual orientations are often vulnerable to greater harms, and/or to specific harms both biological and for socio-economic reasons in highly gendered societies.

The upcoming report on Gender and Toxics aims to examine and enable the application of a human rights-based approach to countless persons and groups that may find themselves in vulnerable situations because of their gender, in respect of toxic exposures. This includes identifying human rights violations and abuses in respect of gender and toxics, recognizing root causes of discrimination and gendered toxic impacts, strengthening tools for implementing the right to a healthy environment in this regard, improving policies for the realization of the rights to information and public participation, and advancing corporate responsibilities with respect to toxics and human rights.

The report will identify gaps and shortcomings, in relation to which the Special Rapporteur would seek to make constructive and concrete recommendations. The report will also explore good practices in tackling the disproportionate toxic impacts imposed on persons and groups because of their gender.

The deadline for submission is 29 March 2024. Submit your input

Special Rapporteur on the human rights to safe drinking water and sanitation

The mandate of the Special Rapporteur on the human rights to safe drinking water and sanitation was initially established by the UN Human Rights Council in March 2008 as the Independent Expert on the issue of human rights obligations related to access to safe drinking water and sanitation. The Human Rights Council extended the mandate on water and sanitation in March 2011 and changed its title to Special Rapporteur on the human rights to safe drinking water and sanitation. The Special Rapporteur, Pedro Arrojo-Agudo, carries out thematic research, undertakes country missions, collects good practices, and works with development practitioners on the implementation of the rights to water and sanitation.

The mandate of the Special Rapporteur on the human rights to safe drinking water and sanitation was established to:

  • focus on the issue of human rights obligations related to access to safe drinking water and sanitation;
  • carry out thematic research;
  • undertake country missions;
  • collect good practices; and
  • work with development practitioners on the implementation of the rights to water and sanitation.

Call for submissions

Nexus water-economy: water management for services and productive uses from a human rights approach

Since the UN Water Conference, two expressions have been used among water and sanitation actors: on the one hand, that water is a global common good and, similarly, that the water cycle is a global common good.

The Special Rapporteur considers it essential to clarify and analyse these expressions from a human rights perspective. In this regard, building on his 2021 report on the “Risks and impacts of the commodification and financialization of water on human rights” (A/76/159), and on the report of his predecessor from 2020 “Human Rights and the privatization of water and sanitation services” (A/75/208) the Special Rapporteur will focus his report to the UN Human Rights Council in 2024 on the economic values assigned to water and aquatic ecosystems from a human rights-based approach.

The deadline for submission is 1 April 2024. Submit your input

Special Rapporteur on the rights of indigenous peoples

In 2001, the Commission on Human Rights decided to appoint a Special Rapporteur on the rights of indigenous peoples, as part of the system of thematic Special Procedures. The Special Rapporteur’s mandate was renewed by the Commission on Human Rights in 2004, and by the Human Rights Council in 2007. It was most recently renewed in 2019 in resolution 42/20. Francisco Cali Tzay was appointed Special Rapporteur on the rights of indigenous peoples in March 2020 and took up the role on 1 May 2020.

The mandate of the Special Rapporteur on the rights of indigenous peoples was created to:

  • Promote good practices, including new laws, government programs, and constructive agreements between indigenous peoples and states, to implement international standards concerning the rights of indigenous peoples;
  • Make recommendations and proposals on appropriate measures to prevent and remedy violations of the rights of indigenous peoples;
  • Report on the human rights situations of indigenous peoples around the world;
  • Address specific cases of alleged violations of indigenous peoples’ rights.

Call for Contributions

There are currently no calls for submissions.

Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights defenders

The Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights defenders, first established by the Human Rights Commission in 2000 and renewed by the Human Rights Council in 2020, aims to promote the effective implementation of the UN Declaration on Human Rights Defenders.

Mary Lawlor is the Special Rapporteur on the situation of human rights defenders since 1 May 2020. As part of her mandate to seek, receive and respond to information on the situation of human rights defenders, including environmental defenders. In her report to HRC46, she stated that among 1,323 human rights defenders killed since 2015, EHRDs are the most targeted (A/HRC/46/35).

Call for Contributions

There are currently no calls for submissions.

Special Rapporteur on the right to development

The Human Rights Council, in its resolution 33/14 of 29 September 2016, established the mandate of the United Nations Special Rapporteur on the right to development. The mandate was extended by resolution 51/7. Mr. Surya Deva was appointed Special Rapporteur for a period of three years and took up his functions on 1 May 2023.

Call for Contributions

In 2024, the Special Rapporteur will be presenting reports to the Human Rights Council and to the UN General Assembly on the following themes: (a) Climate justice: Loss and damage; and (b) The right to development of children and future generations. To inform these two thematic reports, the Special Rapporteur seeks to collect input on certain specific issues from States and all other stakeholders.

The deadline for submission is 29 March 2024. Submit your input

Special Rapporteur on the right to adequate housing

Resettlement as a human rights issue

In his first report to the Human Rights Council (A/HRC/47/43) the Special Rapporteur on the right to adequate housing, Mr. Balakrishnan Rajagopal, pointed to the urgent need to develop a set of guidelines at the international level to ensure that resettlement and relocation are carried out in compliance with the international human rights framework and are consistent with the Sustainable Development Goals. The Special Rapporteur noted that the “absence of such international guidelines leads to wildly varying approaches to eligibility criteria for project-affected people, compensation for loss of land and housing rights, due process requirements in evictions, consultation, participation and consent requirements for relocation and site selection, and benefit-sharing arrangements, among others”.

Through the current call for inputs, the Special Rapporteur aims to collect information to inform the preparation of his forthcoming reports for the Human Rights Council in March 2024 and the General Assembly in October 2024. The reports

  • will identify key human rights challenges posed by resettlement and take stock of international and national laws, regulations, policies and practices related to resettlement.
  • review the laws, regulations and safeguard policies of States, international organizations, international financial institutions, multilateral, bilateral development agencies, and businesses related to resettlement.
  • analyze what is needed to ensure that legal protections and safeguards related to resettlement are not only protected on paper, but also are respected in practice, and will look to compile good practices.

The deadline for submission is 31 March 2024. Submit your input

Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR / UN Human Rights)

There are currently no calls for submissions.

Working Group on business and human rights

Call for input for the Working Group on Business and Human Rights’s official visit to Colombia

During its visit to Colombia, the Working Group will examine business and human rights issues and identify current initiatives, practices, challenges and opportunities at the national and local level to implement the Guiding Principles and promote responsible business conduct.

The Working Group will meet with State institutions, and other stakeholders, including businesses, communities and individuals impacted by business operations and activities, civil society organizations, development partners, trade unions and academics.

On the last day of the visit, the Working Group will present its preliminary conclusions at a press conference (access restricted to the media), highlighting the main areas of concern and opportunities that emerged from the visit. Following this visit, it will prepare a report containing its final observations and recommendations to the Colombian government and other stakeholders, to be presented at the 40th session of the UN Human Rights Council in June 2025.

The deadline for submission is 15 May 2024. Submit your input

Special Rapporteur on the human rights of internally displaced persons

HRC56 thematic report on climate change and internal displacement

The Special Rapporteur’s report will focus on planned relocations of people in the context of the adverse effects of climate change and disasters. For the purposes of this report, planned relocations are understood as a planned process in which groups of persons move or are assisted to move away from their homes or places of temporary residence, are settled in a new and safer location, and provided with the conditions for rebuilding their lives. The report will consider planned relocations conducted to protect people from risks and impacts related to disasters, environmental change and climate-related hazards and vulnerabilities.

Former mandate holders on the human rights of internally displaced persons have introduced planned relocations in their reports on climate change and internal displacement (A/66/285 and A/64/214), as well as internal displacement in the context of the slow-onset adverse effects of climate change (A/75/2017). The Special Rapporteur on the right to adequate housing will present a report on resettlement, which includes planned relocations, to the Human Rights Council in March 2024[3].

Building on these valuable contributions, the report will focus on contexts of disasters, environmental change and climate change and aims to identify key human rights challenges posed by planned relocation processes; take stock of relevant laws and policies at the national, regional, international levels; share the experiences of people relocated and their views on how the full enjoyment of human rights can be ensured in contexts of planned relocation processes; and, propose a human rights-based approach to planned relocations and identify the human rights principles that should underpin such movements of persons and communities.

The deadline for submission is 1 April 2024. Submit your input

Independent Expert on the effects of foreign debt

The fiscal social contract and the human rights economy

In her annual thematic report to the UN General Assembly, 79th session, the Independent Expert on foreign debt, other international financial obligations and human rights, Attiya Waris, aims to emphasize ways to address a growing disconnect between citizens and the institutions that serve them, with many feeling left behind and no longer confident in the system, with a distrust increased by a loss of shared truth and understanding.

The concept of the “Fiscal social contract” refers to the implicit agreement between a government and its population regarding the collection and allocation of public funds. It is a fundamental pillar of modern democratic societies, where citizens contribute taxes, and in return, the government provides public goods and services. The fiscal social contract is based on the principle of mutual responsibility and reciprocity. Citizens agree to pay taxes, which serve as a financial resource for the government to fulfil its obligations and responsibilities towards society. These obligations include providing essential services such as education, healthcare, housing, infrastructure, security, and social welfare programs. In return for their tax contributions, citizens expect the government to utilize these funds efficiently and effectively for the betterment of society. They anticipate that public funds will be allocated based on principles of fairness, equity, and transparency. This ensures that the fiscal social contract remains strong and citizens continue to trust the government with their tax contributions.

Additionally, the fiscal social contract requires accountability from both the government and citizens. Governments must be accountable for their fiscal decisions and ensure that public funds are used in the best interest of society. This accountability can be facilitated through mechanisms such as budget transparency, audits, and citizen participation in decision-making processes. On the other hand, citizens have a responsibility to fulfil their tax obligations honestly and fully. Tax evasion or avoidance undermines the fiscal social contract, as it deprives the government of necessary resources to provide public goods and services. It is imperative that citizens recognize their role in upholding the fiscal social contract by paying their fair share of taxes.

In conclusion, the concept of the fiscal social contract forms the basis of a functioning society. It establishes a relationship of trust and responsibility between the government and its citizens, ensuring the provision of essential public goods and services. Upholding this contract requires transparency, accountability, and mutual respect. By adhering to the fiscal social contract, governments and citizens can work together to build prosperous and equitable societies. As the world is facing a situation of multiple crises taking place across the globe, including socio-economic (unemployment, poverty, inequalities), health (COVID-19), and environmental degradation (climate change and food insecurity), applying a human rights-based approach to recovery plans and policies would imply protecting the environment as our common good while prioritizing the fulfilment of basic human rights of the population regarding health, food security, housing, social security, etc.

The deadline for submission is 20 April 2024. Submit your input

Applications for Mandate Holders

There are currently no calls for applications.