Whakatane Assessments, Rights-Based Assessments of Protected Areas

Whakatane Assessments are part of a larger programme called the Whakatane Mechanism, which is implemented by the IUCN Commission on Environmental, Economic and Social Policy (CEESP), the Forest Peoples Programme, and other indigenous peoples’ organisations (IPOs). According to IUCN, the Whakatane Mechanism “is a process to assess, address and redress situations, …   Continue readingWhakatane Assessments, Rights-Based Assessments of Protected Areas

Guatemala’s Climate Change Framework Law

Guatemala adopted a comprehensive climate change framework law in September 2013 (Ley Marco para Regular la Reducción de la Vulnerabilidad, la Adaptación Obligatoria Ante los Efectos del Cambio Climático y la Mitigación de Gases de Efecto Invernadero). The law’s objective is to establish the necessary regulations to prevent, plan for and respond to the impacts of …   Continue readingGuatemala’s Climate Change Framework Law

Project on Reducing Climate Change Risks to Water Resources in Honduras

According to the UN Development Programme (UNDP), Honduras is one of the most vulnerable countries in Latin America to climate change, with its water resources particularly at risk. Moreover, population growth has led to the increased habitation of low-income populations in areas prone to increased landslides and flooding from climate change-related weather events. This …   Continue readingProject on Reducing Climate Change Risks to Water Resources in Honduras

International Union for Conservation of Nature Resolution on the Child’s Right to Nature and a Healthy Environment

The World Conservation Congress of the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) adopted Resolution 101 on the Child’s Right to Connect with Nature and to a Healthy Environment in September 2012. According to the IUCN, the World Conservation Congress is the world’s largest conservation event and is held every four years with the goal of improving how …   Continue readingInternational Union for Conservation of Nature Resolution on the Child’s Right to Nature and a Healthy Environment

National Inquiry as an Investigation Strategy of the Malaysian National Human Rights Commission

The National Human Rights Commission of Malaysia (SUHAKAM) uses “national inquiries” in order to look into systemic human rights issues. By adopting a broad-based human rights approach, the Commission can examine a large situation as opposed to an individual complaint. National inquiries have a dual focus, fulfilling both fact finding and educational roles. SUHAKAM …   Continue readingNational Inquiry as an Investigation Strategy of the Malaysian National Human Rights Commission

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

Faciladores Judiciales (Judicial Facilitators)

The Organisation of American States (OAS) began implementing a pilot of the judicial facilitators programme in Nicaragua in the late 1990s and it has grown to a well-established initiative in multiple Latin American countries. The objective of the programme is to improve access to justice among local communities where there have historically been barriers to access to …   Continue readingFaciladores Judiciales (Judicial Facilitators)

UNICEF’s Initiatives to Protect Children’s Rights to a Healthy Environment

According to UNICEF, its “approach to environmental sustainability aims to: reduce the effects of climate change and environmental degradation on children’s rights” and “identify and enhance opportunities to advance the rights of children which arise from global and local attention on climate change and environmental degradation.” To achieve these objectives, …   Continue readingUNICEF’s Initiatives to Protect Children’s Rights to a Healthy Environment

Executive Order 12898: Federal Actions to Address Environmental Justice in Minority Populations and Low-Income Populations

The purpose of Executive Order 12898 is to focus federal attention on the environmental and human health effects of federal actions, especially on members of minority and low-income groups, as well as on indigenous peoples, with the goal of achieving environmental protection for all communities. The Executive Order requires federal agencies to identify and address any …   Continue readingExecutive Order 12898: Federal Actions to Address Environmental Justice in Minority Populations and Low-Income Populations