Category: Obligation to Make Environmental Information Public

To protect human rights from environmental harm, States should provide access to environmental information. Good practices in relation to such access include: laws that provide for access to environmental information; annual reports on the state of the environment; education and awareness-raising efforts by States and civil society; online tools that facilitate access to environmental information; and efforts to raise international awareness of the relationship between human rights and environmental protection.



Costa Rica’s State of the Nation Report

The State of the Nation Report is an annual report that serves as a performance monitoring system for Costa Rica, through the selection, measurement and evaluation of a wide range of components of sustainable human development. The report was established as part of the Programa Estado de la Nación/State of the Nation Program in 1994 as a UN Development Programme project, …   Continue readingCosta Rica’s State of the Nation Report

Annual Report on the Environment and the Statistical Environmental Yearbook of the Czech Republic

The Czech Ministry of the Environment (MŽP) has been publishing an Annual Report on the Environment since 1994, and starting in 2005, the Czech Environmental Information Agency (CENIA) has gathered the information that informs the content of the report. The completed report is submitted for approval to the Government of the Czech Republic and subsequently submitted to …   Continue readingAnnual Report on the Environment and the Statistical Environmental Yearbook of the Czech Republic

Czech Republic’s Integrated Pollution Register

The Integrated Pollution Register, created through Czech Law No. 76 of 2002, is a publicly accessible, electronic database documenting environmental pollution from domestic industrial and agricultural facilities. The Register’s objective is to require regular periodical data reporting of releases and transfers of certain substances by companies and offers relevant and …   Continue readingCzech Republic’s Integrated Pollution Register

El Salvador’s Environmental Observatory

Since 2001, the Ministry of Environment and Natural Resources (MARN) has operated El Salvador’s Environmental Observatory and its predecessor the National System of Territorial Studies (SNET). The Observatory aims to support environmental management and risk management through systematic observation of potential environmental threats related to meteorological, …   Continue readingEl Salvador’s Environmental Observatory

Tarkkailija (“Observer”) – Web-Based Environmental Information Observer

Tarkkailija, a map-based web application launched in 2009, seeks to increase access to information regarding environmental and land use projects in different areas and cities by enabling interested parties to identify themes or locations that they would like the application to monitor. Once users specify the habitat, theme or plan that they would like to monitor, the web …   Continue readingTarkkailija (“Observer”) – Web-Based Environmental Information Observer

AKOBEN, Community Environmental Awareness Programme

AKOBEN is a programme that makes environmental law and administrative processes more accessible to communities that do not have the capacity to understand the legal system. It uses a five colour rating scheme to assess the performance of mining and manufacturing operations in a manner that is easily understood by the public. Ratings are annually disclosed to the general …   Continue readingAKOBEN, Community Environmental Awareness Programme

Laws on Access to Environmental Information

Most countries have adopted specific laws relating to access to information, and some, such as South Africa, have adopted constitutional provisions relating to access to information. In addition, some countries have adopted specific laws or constitutional provisions relating to access to environmental information. For example, Chile’s environmental framework law (La …   Continue readingLaws on Access to Environmental Information

Sustainability School Programme, Uganda

The National Association of Professional Environmentalists (NAPE) is committed to sustainable solutions to Uganda’s most challenging environmental problems through, among other things, monitoring government actions, conducting research, providing educational materials, and organizing affected communities. Since 2010, NAPE has conducted a Sustainability School Programme …   Continue readingSustainability School Programme, Uganda

Ontario’s Environmental Registry

The province of Ontario has created a web-based Environmental Registry where the public can access a wide spectrum of environmental-related information. The Environmental Registry was created pursuant to the requirements of the Ontario Environmental Bill of Rights, a comprehensive law whose purpose is, among other things, to protect the right to a healthful environment. …   Continue readingOntario’s Environmental Registry

Environmental Education Programme

Environmental education is one of the key topics covered by the National Plan of Action for Environment and Sustainable Development (PNAEDD), adopted with the aim to raise awareness and inform the public about the seriousness of the environmental situation in Algeria. Following recommendations of the Algerian National Committee on education reform, the Ministry of …   Continue readingEnvironmental Education Programme

National Meta-Register on Environmental Information (EcoRegister)

Serbia has created a public online database, the National Meta-Register on Information about Environment (EcoRegister) to provide information related to the environment. The database consists of thousands of documents from a wide range of organisations and institutions, including government agencies, private companies, research organisations, non-governmental …   Continue readingNational Meta-Register on Environmental Information (EcoRegister)

Sustainable Island Resource Management Mechanism Project

The Sustainable Island Resource Management Mechanism (SIRMM) project, which was implemented from 2008 until 2013, sought to ensure the sustainability and maintenance of island ecosystem integrity, health and function through integrated planning and management of island resources. It also sought to strengthen capacities at the systemic, institutional and individual level …   Continue readingSustainable Island Resource Management Mechanism Project

National Ministry: South African Department of Environmental Affairs’ Annual Report

he South African Department of Environmental Affairs publishes an annual report on all enforcement-related activities. This report provides information on statistics for enforcement, including administrative citations and fines issued, criminal cases brought, number of convictions, number of facilities inspected, and number of staff working on compliance monitoring and …   Continue readingNational Ministry: South African Department of Environmental Affairs’ Annual Report

ASEAN Intergovernmental Commission on Human Rights Workshop on Human Rights, Environment and Climate Change

The ASEAN Intergovernmental Commission on Human Rights (AICHR) was established as the human rights body of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) in 2009 to promote and protect human rights and fundamental freedoms of the peoples of ASEAN. The AICHR organised a Workshop on Human Rights, Environment and Climate Change in Yangon, Myanmar from 13 to 15 September …   Continue readingASEAN Intergovernmental Commission on Human Rights Workshop on Human Rights, Environment and Climate Change

South African Waste Information Centre (SAWIC)

South Africa in some cases has gone beyond responding to requests for environmental information by proactively providing environmental information to the public. For example, the Department of Environmental Affairs has created the South African Waste Information Centre (SAWIC), a website that provides a wide spectrum of information on waste management to the public. In …   Continue readingSouth African Waste Information Centre (SAWIC)

13th Informal Asia Europe Meeting (ASEM) Seminar on Human Rights and the Environment

The 13th Informal Asia Europe Meeting (ASEM) Seminar was held in Copenhagen on 21-23 October 2013 with a thematic focus on Human Rights and the Environment. Established in 1998, the Informal ASEM Seminar on Human Rights regularly brings together government officials, academics, and civil society representatives from ASEM member countries for dialogues on ASEM priorities. …   Continue reading13th Informal Asia Europe Meeting (ASEM) Seminar on Human Rights and the Environment

Environmental Profile of Spain, Providing Ease of Access to Mobile Devices

The Spanish Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Environment has published an annual report since 2004 entitled "Environmental Profile of Spain. Indicator-based Report.” This annual publication provides an overview of the environmental situation in Spain, increases the country’s knowledge about the environment, provides specific data, monitors policies intended to …   Continue readingEnvironmental Profile of Spain, Providing Ease of Access to Mobile Devices

The Taking Stock Programme of the North American Commission for Environmental Cooperation

Since 1994, Canada, Mexico and the United States have collaborated in protecting North America's environment through the North American Agreement on Environmental Cooperation (NAAEC), which came into force at the same time as the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA). The NAAEC established an intergovernmental organization, the Commission for Environmental …   Continue readingThe Taking Stock Programme of the North American Commission for Environmental Cooperation

UN Economic Commission for Europe, Aarhus Clearinghouse for Environmental Democracy

The Aarhus Clearinghouse is a forum to provide information on good practices relevant to the public’s right to access environmental information, participate in environmental decision-making, and achieve justice on environmental matters, areas that are covered by the Aarhus Convention on Access to Information, Public Participation in Decision-making and Access to Justice …   Continue readingUN Economic Commission for Europe, Aarhus Clearinghouse for Environmental Democracy

Center for Victims of Torture’s New Tactics in Human Rights Programme

The Center for Victims of Torture (CVT) launched its New Tactics in Human Rights Programme in 1999, with the aim of helping human rights defenders work more effectively so they can achieve their goals and better address human rights violations around the world. According to CVT, the New Tactics Programme began when it “recognized how complex the systems are that allow …   Continue readingCenter for Victims of Torture’s New Tactics in Human Rights Programme

United Nations Environment Programme’s Initiatives on Human Rights

The UN Environment Programme (UNEP) has recognized, developed and raised awareness of the linkages between the environment and the enjoyment of human rights through a number of initiatives. For example, in December 2009, UNEP jointly organized with the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) a high-level meeting on the topic of the future of human rights …   Continue readingUnited Nations Environment Programme’s Initiatives on Human Rights

Certificación para la Sostenibilidad Turística en Costa Rica/Costa Rica’s Certification for Sustainable Tourism

The Costa Rican Tourism Board (ICT) is an autonomous body under the Ministry of Tourism. Among other tasks, it administers the Certification for Sustainable Tourism (CST) programme, a voluntary points-based system created in 1998 to recognize enterprises’ efforts towards environmentally friendly practices and business models. ICT evaluates each participating business …   Continue readingCertificación para la Sostenibilidad Turística en Costa Rica/Costa Rica’s Certification for Sustainable Tourism