Hearing on Human
Rights and Environment
Inter-American
Commission on Human Rights
October 16,
Washington, DC 2002
By request of the Center for Human Rights and Environment (CEDHA), the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR) has conceded in its annual hearing session, a special “General Hearing” on the effects of Environmental Degradation on the Realization of Human Rights in the Hemisphere. This hearing marks the first time that the IACHR will formally and specifically address the linkages of human rights to the environment in a General Hearing.
This General Hearing is part of an ongoing
hemispheric initiative to foster attention of the regional human rights bodies
to the impacts of environmental degradation on people, and particularly to
promote the use of the legal mechanisms we have available through human rights
law and related protection mechanisms to guarantee access to justice for
victims of human rights violations. One of the critical issues to consider in
linking human rights issues to environment is that through human rights
protection we can work at promoting more integrated sustainable development and
reverse severe environmental degradation impact. The hearing will be an
excellent opportunity to gain an insight on how the hemisphere’s human rights
tribunals understand the relationship between the environment and people, and
more specifically it will provide us with an opportunity to identify promotion
and capacity building needs on this front.
The hearing will
take place on the 16th of October from 11am - 12 noon in the Miranda
Salon of the Main Building of the Organization of American States, at 17th
and Constitution Ave. NW in Washington DC, 20006. Commission hearings are
private, although interested parties should contact CEDHA immediately to
request attendance as “observers”.
Please contact: romina@cedha.org.ar
The objective of
the hearing is to present the IACHR juridical and scientific information on the
state of the environment in the continent, the alarming growth of environmental
degradation, and the consequences of this degradation on the realization of
human rights in the hemisphere.
Summary of presentation topics:
§
Characterization of the abuses of
human rights caused by environmental degradation
§
The UN Commission on Human Rights and
the links between human rights and environment
§
General Panorama of Environmental
Degradation in the hemisphere and its impact on persons
§
The patterns of silence: abuse of
human rights of environmentalists in the Americas
§
Application of international
environmental law principles by international human rights protection agencies
in cases of environmental degradation with related human rights abuses
§
Competence ratio materiae of the
IACHR
§
International
responsibilities and obligations of states
§
Recommendations
and Actions
§
UN Special Rapporteur
on the Transboundary Movement of Toxic Waste and Human Rights, Mme Fatma
Vessely
§
Dr. Richard Meganck, Director, Unit
for Sustainable Development of the Organization of American States
§
Dr. Dinah Shelton, professor Notre
Dame University
§
Romina
Picolotti (Director Access to Justice Program, CEDHA)
§
Sofia
Bordenave (Director CEDHA Patagonia)
Hearing Official Documents
Informe sobre derechos humanos y medio
ambiente en las América.(400Kb) Sofía Bordenave and Romina Picolotti (CEDHA)
2002.
Sumario del Informe Derechos Humanos y
Medio Ambiente en las Américas
Violencia y ambiente por Romina
Picolotti (CEDHA) 2002
Minutas de las respuestas de Romina
Picolotti ante las preguntas de la Comisión Interamericana de Derechos
Humanos
Degradation
on the Exercise and Enjoyment of Human Rights in the Hemisphere by Richard
Meganck (OAS) 2002
Transcript
of the Oral Presentation of Mrs
Fatma-Zohra Vesely (UN) 2002
Remarks
of Professor Dinah Shelton of Notre Dame University (Notre Dame) 2002
Resoluciones de la Asamblea General
Directamente relacionadas con Derechos Humanos y Medio Ambiente
Other Related Materials
A
New Development Strategy for the Americas: A Human Rights and Environment
Perspective (CEDHA, 2002)
A
Review of Institutional Developments at the International Level. Dr Adriana
Fabra
CEDHA
Recommendations to OHCHR-UNEP Experts Meeting on Human Rights and Environment
Civil Society Declaration on Human Rights and
Environment (ANPED)
Draft Legislation on Human Rights and
Environment (English Version)
Draft Legislation on Human Rights and
Environment (Spanish Version)
Earth
Justice Invitation to NGO follow-up meeting
E-mail
received by NGOs from the OHCHR on Meeting
Environmental
Issues and Human Rights in Multilateral Treaties Adopted between 1991 and 2001.
Professor Dinah
Shelton, UofNotre Dame
Environmental
Rights in Multilateral Treaties Adopted between 1991 and 2001. Professor Dinah Shelton, University
of Notre Dame
Human
Rights and the Environment: Developments at the National Level, South Asia and
Africa, Dr Jona Razzaque
Human Rights, Health and
Environmental Protection: Linkages in Law and Practice. Dinah Shelton, A
Background Paper for the WHO. 2002
Ksentini Report (Part 1, Part 2).
Review for Further Developments in Fields with Which the Subcomission
has be been concerned: Human Rights and the Environment. Final report prepared
by Mrs. Fatma Zohra Ksentini, Special Rapporteur
OAS
Resolution 1819 on Human Rights and Ennvironment (Spanish)
OAS
Resolution 1819 on Human Rights and Environment (English)
OAS
Resolution 1896 on Human Rights and Ennvironment (Spanish)
OAS
Resolution 1896 on Human Rights and Environment (English)
Paper
on Needs for HR/ENV Legislation in Americas (English Version)
Paper
on Needs for HR/ENV Legislation in Americas (in Spanish)
Reconnaissance et Mise en Oeuvre du Droit a L’Eau.
Henri Smets, Conseil International du Droit de L’Environnement
The Enforcement of Environmental Law from a Human
Rights Perspective. By Romina Picolotti and Sofia Bordenave. CEDHA 2002
Una Nueva Estrategia para el
Desarrollo para las Américas: Desde los Derechos Humanos y em Medio Ambiente (CEDHA, 2002)