Botswana: UN expert to assess environmental impacts on human rights

GENEVA (27 September 2023) - The UN Special Rapporteur on human rights and the environment, David R. Boyd, will conduct a visit to Botswana from 3 to 11 October 2023.

The aim of the visit is to collect information and examine issues linked to the protection and promotion of human rights relating to the environment in the country.

The visit will coincide with the second anniversary of the recognition of the right to a clean, healthy and sustainable environment by the Human Rights Council.

“Botswana was a co-sponsor of the United Nations General Assembly resolution recognising this human right and I am particularly keen to learn about the implementation of the right to a clean, healthy and sustainable environment in this context,” Boyd said.

The Special Rapporteur will also examine good practices and challenges on a range of environment-related human rights issues including biodiversity, climate, conservation, desertification, air quality, food systems and water.

He will meet Government officials, representatives of civil society, rights holders, academics, and other stakeholders during the visit.

The Special Rapporteur will present his preliminary observations on the visit at a news conference on 11 October 2023 at 11:00 am (Conference Room of the United Nations Building, Cnr Khama Crescent and President’s Drive). Access will be strictly limited to journalists.

Boyd will present a comprehensive report on the visit to the UN Human Rights Council in March 2024.

ENDS

David R. Boyd (Canada) was appointed Special Rapporteur on human rights and the environment on 1 August 2018. He is an associate professor of law, policy, and sustainability at the University of British Colombia. @SREnvironment

The Special Rapporteurs are part of what is known as the Special Procedures of the Human Rights Council. Special Procedures, the largest body of independent experts in the UN Human Rights system, is the general name of the Council's independent fact-finding and monitoring mechanisms that address either specific country situations or thematic issues in all parts of the world. Special Procedures' experts work on a voluntary basis; they are not UN staff and do not receive a salary for their work. They are independent from any government or organization and serve in their individual capacity.