Call for submissions | Special Procedures of the Human Rights Council, Treaty Bodies, Subsidiary Bodies and Office of the High Commissioner

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 is 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

There are currently no calls for submissions.

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

There are currently no calls for submissions.

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.

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

The impact of loss and damage from the adverse effects of climate change on human rights

The Human Rights Council has recognized the importance for all countries of averting, minimizing and addressing loss and damage associated with the adverse effects of climate change, including extreme weather events and slow-onset events. The Council has, among other things, called upon States to enhance international cooperation and reiterated the urgency of scaling up action, in particular in financing, the transfer of technology and capacity-building, for mitigation and adaptation measures and to assist developing countries in averting, minimizing and addressing loss and damage, especially those that are particularly vulnerable to the adverse effects of climate change.

Resolution 53/6 of 7 July 2023 (A/HRC/RES/53/6) entitled “Human rights and climate change” requested the Secretary-General to consult Member States and other relevant stakeholders in order to conduct and submit to the fifty-seventh session of the Human Rights Council an analytical study on the impact of loss and damage from the adverse effects of climate change on the full enjoyment of human rights, exploring equity-based approaches and solutions to addressing the same.

The deadline for submission is 31 January 2024. → Submit your input

Addressing the challenges and barriers to the full realization of the human rights of the people of the Marshall Islands stemming from the State’s nuclear legacy

The Human Rights Council has affirmed the importance of addressing the adverse impacts of the nuclear legacy on the human rights of the people of the Marshall Islands. The Council expresses grave concern over the lasting threats posed by nuclear waste, radiation, and contamination. These dangers not only jeopardize the environment but also continue to adversely affect the human rights of the Marshallese, such as the rights to life, physical and mental health, an adequate standard of living, food, housing, safe drinking water, sanitation, cultural participation, and the enjoyment of a clean, healthy, and sustainable environment for both current and future generations.

Human Rights Council resolution 51/35 of 13 October 2022 (A/HRC/RES/51/35) entitled “Technical assistance and capacity-building to address the human rights implications of the nuclear legacy in the Marshall Islands” requested OHCHR to prepare a report on addressing the challenges and barriers to the full realization and enjoyment of the human rights of the people of the Marshall Islands, stemming from the State’s nuclear legacy.

The deadline for submission is 31 January 2024. → Submit your input

Expert Mechanism on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples

Study on “Laws, legislation, policies, constitutions, judicial decisions and other mechanisms in which States had taken measures to achieve the ends of the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, in accordance with article 38 of the Declaration”

Pursuant to Human Rights Council resolution 33/25, during its sixteenth session in 2023, the Expert Mechanism confirmed its decision to prepare a study on “Laws, legislation, policies, constitutions, judicial decisions and other mechanisms in which States had taken measures to achieve the ends of the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, in accordance with article 38 of the Declaration”.

The purpose of this study is to analyze laws, legislation, policies, constitutions, judicial decisions and other mechanisms in which States had taken measures to achieve the ends of the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, in accordance with article 38 of the Declaration: “States, in consultation and cooperation with indigenous peoples, shall take the appropriate measures, including legislative measures, to achieve the ends of the Declaration”. Article 38 should also be read in conjunction with paragraphs (2) in Articles 8, 11, 12, 13, 15, 16, 17, 21, 22, 30, 31, and 36, and paragraph (3) in articles 14 and 26, as well as paragraphs (2) and (3) in articles 29 and 32.

To assist all parties in contributing to this seminar, the EMRIP sets out below some of the elements it intends to focus on in its study.

The deadline for submission is 31 January 2024. → Submit your input

Intergovernmental Working Group on the issue of human rights and transnational corporations and other business enterprises

There are currently no calls for submissions.

Applications for Mandate Holders

Call for applications for mandate holders to be appointed at the 55th session of the Human Rights Council

The secretariat of the Human Rights Council is currently accepting applications for the following additional vacancies of independent United Nations experts of the Council to be appointed at the fifty-fifth session of the Council (26 February to 5 April 2024):

• Working Group on the rights of peasants and other people working in rural areas, members from African States, Asia-Pacific States, Eastern European States, Latin American and Caribbean States, and Western European and other States.

Individual applications, including a motivation letter, must be submitted and received by 11 December 2023 at 12:00 CET, through an online application procedure that consists of: (1) an online survey; and (2) an application form in Word format. → Submit your application