Summary

The Special Rapporteur on the human right to a clean, healthy and sustainable environment clarifies States’ obligations regarding environmental impact assessment processes and the need to include human rights and social impacts for comprehensive and integrated assessments. The report, by highlighting challenges and best practices aligned with human rights and international obligations, is intended to improve these processes, presenting ways in which existing assessment frameworks must evolve to effectively and comprehensively evaluate potential environmental, climate, biodiversity, health, social, cultural, economic and human rights impacts through comprehensive and integrated assessments, on the basis of the best-available science, including Indigenous and traditional science, and through transparent, participatory processes.