Special Rapporteur on cultural rights

Issues in focus

About special procedures

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Special Rapporteur on cultural rights

Issues in focus

About special procedures

The Special Rapporteurs on cultural rights have addressed various dimensions of the right to access to and participation in science, on the basis, in particular, of article 27 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and article 15 of the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights.

You will find below the thematic work conducted by the mandate over the years, as well as developments in other parts of the UN system and important links.

Ensuring the right to science for all

The right to access to, to participate in and to enjoy science and its benefits covers all sciences: life, natural, physical, behavioural and social sciences, as well the multiple fields of application of scientific knowledge, such as engineering, technologies and health.

A first report on the right to enjoy the benefits of scientific progress and its applications stated that the normative content of that right included:

  • access to the benefits of science and its applications, including scientific knowledge, by everyone, without discrimination;
  • opportunities for all to contribute to the scientific enterprise and the freedoms indispensable for scientific research;
  • participation of individuals and communities in decision-making and the related right to information; and
  • an enabling environment fostering the conservation, development and diffusion of science and technology.

That report was followed by two reports on intellectual property, one on the impact of copyright policy and the other on the impact of patent policy on the realization of cultural rights. See the “issue in focus” page on Intellectual property regimes for more information on these analysis.

A fourth report addressed more specifically the participation dimension of the right to science.

Report on the right to participate in science (2024)

In her 2024 report to the Human Rights Council (A/HRC/55/44), the Special Rapporteur, Alexandra Xanthaki, considers the right to participate in science as an element of the right to participate in cultural life, noting that science is an element of culture.

The Special Rapporteur notes that science cannot produce long-lasting positive results unless conducted within a human rights framework that ensures that it benefits all of humanity. Such approach is based on the principles of the universality and indivisibility of rights, non-discrimination, equality, participation and respect for cultural diversity, including scientific diversity. It includes encouraging the democratization of science and its production, use and advancement and improving the protection of scientists and those engaged in scientific endeavours. It also implies considering science as a common good, ensuring participation and access for all, and safeguarding science from manipulation, disinformation and misinformation. 

In the report, the Special Rapporteur places the right to participate at the centre of the right to science. Both dimensions of science – participation in science and access to science, including, for example, the enjoyment of benefits – are crucial and interlinked, in that participation in science is not guaranteed unless access is guaranteed and vice versa. 

The Special Rapporteur emphasizes the importance of an inclusive approach to the right to science, and recommends avoiding exclusionary processes through the definition of science. The definition of science, while holding on the distinction with faith or belief, as well as dis- and misinformation, must not sit only within predominant narratives and exclude from scientific discussions reliable knowledge production. She also recalls the evolution of the meaning of science, which now encompasses all scientific approaches. 

The Special Rapporteur stresses that the right to participate in science through varied modalities must be guaranteed for all and she advocates for multiple and wide-ranging science-policy interfaces and for special measures to remove obstacles to the exercise of that right. Scientific freedom must be guaranteed, and a human rights approach to science must be implemented at all levels, by all actors.

In preparation for the report, the Special Rapporteur held two consultations. She also benefited from her participation in the OHCHR-UNESCO dialogue on the right to science, held in Geneva in 2022 (see below). To collect views and experiences, a questionnaire was distributed widely. See the questionnaire and the responses received on the report page.

Report on the right to enjoy the benefits of scientific progress and its applications (2012)

In her 2012 report to the human Rights Council (A/HRC/20/26), the Special Rapporteur, Farida Shaheed, focuses on the right to enjoy the benefits of scientific progress and its applications. She stresses the strong link between this right and the right to take part in cultural life, as well as other human rights.

For essential innovations to reach everyone, states and the private sector need to work together to identify the needs of marginalized people through consultative processes, direct funding and targeted research. The private sector needs to prioritize the right to science through corporate social responsibility initiatives. The report also calls for states to give everyone access to essential technologies like the Internet, promote open access to scientific knowledge and information on the Internet, and promote science education at all levels.

Most recommendations in the report could be implemented in a timely manner. The Special Rapporteur highlights the need for a robust discussion on the right to enjoy the benefits of scientific progress and its applications, including on her proposal to adopt a public good approach to knowledge innovation and diffusion.

She also recommends that States ensure the participation of individuals, communities and peoples in decision-making relating to science in order to (i) provide opportunities for all to make informed decisions after considering both the possible improvements and potentially harmful side effects or dangerous usages of scientific advances; (ii) protect marginalized populations against the negative consequences of scientific testing or applications on, in particular, their health, food security or environment; (iii) ensure that scientific research is conducted on key issues for specific countries and communities, including the most vulnerable.

To prepare this report and assess achievements and challenges related to the right to enjoy the benefits of scientific progress and its applications, the Special Rapporteur prepared and disseminated a questionnaire. See the questionnaire and the responses received on the report page.

Read all recommendations to states, enterprise, universities and other stakeholders on how to ensure the right for everyone to take part in scientific life (A/HRC/20/26)

Related events and materials

  • Participation of the Special Rapporteur in the Human Rights table on “From code to conscience: ensuring right-compliant digitalisation”, organised by the European Union Agency for Fundamental Rights (FRA) in the context of its 4th edition of the Fundamental Rights Forum, entitled “Rights in motion: Embracing human rights for Europe’s future”, 12 March 2024
  • Participation of the Special Rapporteur in the opening keynote panel of the Social Forum on “The contribution of science, technology and innovation to the promotion of human rights, including in the context of post-pandemic recovery” (see below for more details), 2 November 2023
  • Expert consultations on the right to science and academic freedoms, organised jointly by the Special Rapporteur in the field of cultural rights and the Special Rapporteur on the right to education, to inform their respective upcoming reports. 31 October- 1 November 2023
  • Address by the Special Rapporteur in the opening panel of the 2023 AAAS Science, Technology and Human Rights Conference, dedicated to “The Human Right to Science: Pathways for Action.” 16 October 2023
  • Participation of the Special Rapporteur in the Geneva Science and Diplomacy Anticipator 2022 Summit, in a session focusing on “Reviving the Human Right to Science”. In her intervention, the Special Rapporteur reminded of the importance of looking at all the human rights related to science, including access to knowledge, methodologies and benefits, access to scientific publications, participation in and direct contribution to scientific research, academic and scientific freedoms and the corresponding obligations of States and other duty bearers. Geneva, 13 October 2022
  • Full programme of the summit
  • Recording of the session 
  • Participation of the Special Rapporteur in the second OHCHR-UNESCO Geneva dialogues for enhancing cooperation and effectiveness, dedicated to the right to science. Geneva, 25-26 April 2022
  • Joint appeal for open science, by CERN, OHCHR, UNESCO and WHO, 27 October 2020
  • Keynote address by the Special Rapporteur in the field of cultural rights in the Symposium "Women in Culture and Science", organised by the UNESCO Chair on Building Common Ground: Cultural Rights of the University of Copenhagen and the UNESCO division for gender equality, Paris, France, 8 March 2018
  • Keynote speech by Ms. Farida Shaheed, International conference on the Human Right to Science: New Directions for Human Rights in Science, Bern, Switzerland, 22 May 2015
  • Public consultation on the right to enjoy the benefits of scientific progress and its applications, 7 December 2011 Audio files

Further developments in the UN system

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