Summaries of Good Practices

Find links to one-page summaries of each of the good practices highlighted in the Special Rapporteur�s good practices report (A/HRC/28/61). The summaries are categorized by type of obligation (procedural, substantive, relating to non-state actors, etc.) and then by theme.

Procedural Obligations - General

• Aarhus Centres
• Aarhus Convention
• Bali Guidelines
• ECLAC negotiation of agreement on Principle 10
• Environmental Democracy Index
• The Access Initiative

Obligation to Make Environmental Information Public

Access to Environmental Information

• Multiple States - laws on Access to Environmental Information
• El Salvador � environmental observatory
• Costa Rica � State of the Nation report
• Czech Republic � annual report
• South Africa � annual report
• Spain � environmental profile

Education and Awareness-Raising

• Algeria � Environmental Education Programme
• ASEAN � workshop on human rights and the environment
• ASEM � seminar on human rights and the environment
• Center for Victims of Torture � new tactics program
• Costa Rica � Certificate of Sustainable Tourism
• Ghana � AKOBEN
• Uganda � Sustainability School
• UNEP � program on human rights and the environment

Online Tools

• Aarhus Clearinghouse
• North American Commission for Environmental Cooperation � Taking Stock
• Czech Republic � integrated pollution register
• Finland � Tarkkailija
• Canada � Ontario�s environmental registry
• Serbia � EcoRegister
• South Africa � SAWIC

Obligation to Facilitate Public Participation in Environmental Decision-Making

• Multiple States - Public Participation in Development of Environmental Laws
• Multiple States - Public Participation in EIA procedures
• Antigua and Barbuda � sustainable island resource management
• Finland � Alvari program
• Finland � Harava program
• Mexico � environmental public participation index
• Namati � community paralegals
• North American Commission for Environmental Cooperation � JPAC
• Mexico � consultative councils
• Mongolia � local multi-stakeholder platforms
• USA � community advisory groups

Obligation to Protect the Rights of Expression and Association

• ELAW � network of advocates
• FIDH and OMCT� Observatory for the Protection of Human Rights Defenders
• FORUM-Asia � response framework
• Frontline Defenders � ID cards
• Goldman Environmental Prize
• Inter-American Commission and Court � jurisprudence
• Protection International � protection manuals
• Women�s Human Rights Defenders

Obligation to Provide Access to Legal Remedies

Improving Access to National Courts

• Australia New South Wales � Land and Environment Court
• Costa Rica � amparo cause of action
• Costa Rica � Environmental Administrative Tribunal
• India � National Green Tribunal
• Ireland � cost rules
• Philippines � rules of procedure in environmental cases
• USA � citizen suits

National Human Rights Institutions

• Brazil � Ministerio Publico
• Costa Rica � ombudsperson
• Croatia � ombudsperson
• Hungary � ombudsperson for future generations
• Kenya � national human rights commission
• Malaysia � national inquiry strategy
• Mexico � national human rights commission
• Portugal � ombudsperson
• Thailand � national human rights commission

Regional Practices

• African Commission
• Asian Judges Symposium
• ECOWAS Court of Justice
• European Court of Human Rights
• North American Commission � submissions process
• OAS � judicial facilitators

Civil Society Monitoring Mechanisms

• EcoLur (Armenia) � hot spots
• University of Tampere (Finland) research
• South Africa � environmental management committee

Substantive Obligations

• Multiple States � adoption of constitutional right to healthy environment
• Argentina � Silva v Argentina
• China � framework environmental law
• Costa Rica � environmental jurisprudence of constitutional court
• India � jurisprudence of supreme court
• Philippines � environmental jurisprudence of supreme court
• New York City � Environmental Quality Review Technical Guidelines
• Finland - Collective Commitments
• USA � National Historic Preservation Act

Obligations Relating to Non-State Actors

• European Union � implementation of Guiding Principles
• Global Reporting Initiative
• Asia Pulp Paper
• Coca-Cola
• Patagonia

Obligations Relating to Transboundary Environmental Harm

International Cooperation

• Canada-U.S. Uniform Transboundary Pollution Reciprocal Access Act
• Espoo Convention
• Finland-Tanzania
• Micronesia � Czech transboundary EIA
• Nordic Environmental Protection Convention

Climate Change

• Australia � National Indigenous Climate Change Partnership
• Guatemala � framework law
• Honduras � risks to water resources
• Jordan � national policy
• Scotland � climate justice fund
• Suriname � REDD+ Assistants Programme

Obligations Relating to Those in Vulnerable Situations

Children

• IUCN � resolution on children and environment
• UNICEF � various projects

Indigenous Peoples

• Belize � community-based sustainable forest management plans
• Inter-American Court of Human Rights � jurisprudence
• India � rejection of application to mine Niyamgiri Hills
• IUCN � Whakatane assessments
• Mexico � Supreme Court decision
• Natural Justice � community protocols
• Natural Justice � Living Convention
• Norway � Finnmark Act
• Suriname � REDD+ Assistants Programme

Minorities and Low-Income Populations

• USA � Executive Order 12898

Women

• FPAR � self-research