Environment @ 63rd Session of the UN Human Rights Council

The 63rd regular session of the Human Rights Council is scheduled to take place in Geneva from 7 September to 7 October 2026. The Council proceedings can be viewed on UN TV. The meeting summaries are available on the UN Geneva website and the live-updated programme of work on the HRC Portal and Sched.

Key Highlights @ HRC63

This section will provide a brief overview of highlights on the environment and human rights at the sixty-third session of the Human Rights Council.

Toxics and Human Rights

• The implications for human rights of the environmentally sound management and disposal of hazardous substances and wastes are the usual main environmental theme of the Council’s September sessions. The newly appointed UN Special Rapporteur on toxics and human rights, Bethanie Carney Almroth, will present the report of the previous mandate holder, Marcos Orellana, on « Forever chemicals and human rights » (A/HRC/63/27). The report examines how per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) impair the effective enjoyment of human rights, as they have the potential to irreversibly alter the chemical composition of life-supporting ecosystems and impair human and environmental health. The report concludes that PFAS pose a profound threat to human rights and the environment that compels an immediate ban on all non-essential uses of PFAS and urgent action at every level to effectively control PFAS and prevent PFAS pollution.
• The 2026 edition of the Geneva Toxic Free Talks is expected to take place in the margins of this session of the Council.
• The Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR), following its first report on the nuclear legacy of the Marshall Islands (A/HRC/57/77), will present a second report (A/HRC/63/76) on addressing the challenges and barriers to the full realization and enjoyment of the human rights of the people of the Marshall Islands, stemming from the State’s nuclear legacy, focusing on elements of justice and accountability.

Rights to Safe Drinking Water and Sanitation

• The UN Special Rapporteur on the human rights to safe drinking water and sanitation, Pedro Arrojo Agudo, will present his report to the Council focusing on « Making the human right to sanitation a reality for all » (A/HRC/63/34). Even though sanitation has been recognized as a distinct human right and has been a global policy priority for 16 years now, about 3.4 billion people worldwide still lack access to safely managed sanitation services. On the eve of the 2026 United Nations Water Conference to Accelerate the Implementation of Sustainable Development Goal 6 and the review of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, the report calls for renewed commitment to the universal realization of the human right to sanitation for all.

Climate Change

• In line with its resolution 59/25, the synthesis report by the UN Secretary-General (A/HRC/63/54) on actionable pathways in mobilizing sufficient climate financing and associated challenges and opportunities in the pursuit of the full realization of human rights for all people, will be presented to the Council.
• The UN Expert Mechanism on the Right to Development is also expected to present its thematic study on « Climate finance: vulnerability and responsibility » (A/HRC/63/39) that analyzes processes and innovative practices that contribute to financing climate transition and development at various levels, identifying the conditions under which they are compatible with the right to development.

Rights of Indigenous Peoples

• The UN Special Rapporteur on the rights of Indigenous Peoples, Albert K. Barume, dedicates his annual report to the Human Rights Council to the theme “Historical and contemporary forms of violations against Indigenous women and girls’ sexual and reproductive health and rights” (A/HRC/63/30). Nearly 20 years after the adoption of the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP), violations of the sexual and reproductive health and rights of Indigenous women and girls remain among the most pervasive, yet often least acknowledged, dimensions of the historical subjugation of Indigenous Peoples. The report highlights four primary drivers of the violation of the sexual and reproductive health and rights of Indigenous women and girls: (a) settler and colonial States; (b) harmful cultural practices and beliefs; (c) militarization, conflict, organized crime and economic interests; and (d) structural discrimination and environmental contamination.
• In its study, the Expert Mechanism examines the rights of Indigenous Peoples in conflict and post-conflict situations (A/HRC/63/65), identifying key conflict dynamics arising from historical injustices, dispossession of lands and resources, denial of self-determination and systemic inequalities. The study highlights the disproportionate impact of conflict on Indigenous Peoples, including violence, displacement, environmental degradation and the erosion of cultural and governance systems, as well as pressure linked to climate change and resource competition.
• The theme of the annual half-day panel discussion on the rights of Indigenous Peoples, taking place on 23 September 2026, will be “Convention for the Protection of the World Cultural and Natural Heritage: Indigenous Peoples’ rights and engagement”.

Right to Development

• The UN Special Rapporteur on the right to development, Surya Deva, in his report to the Council (A/HRC/63/32) will provide practical guidance on ensuring active, free and meaningful participation, in line with the model of “planet-centred participatory development”.
• In its thematic study to be presented to HRC63 (A/HRC/63/40), the Expert Mechanism on the Right to Development examines the implications of artificial intelligence (AI) systems for the enjoyment of cultural rights under article 15 of the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights, and their relationship with the right to development. Particular attention is given to Indigenous Peoples, minorities, small-scale cultural producers and artists, and developing countries, including in relation to data practices and the concentration of technological and market power.

Right to Healthy Environment

• 8 October 2026 marks the five-year anniversary from the day when the United Nations recognized for the first time that everyone, everywhere, has the human right to live in a clean, healthy and sustainable environment. Ahead of the fifth anniversary of this landmark recognition, a celebration is scheduled to take place at this session of the Council on 24 September 2026. The celebration aims to provide an opportunity to celebrate advances and to assess the evolution of the right. The fifth anniversary of the milestone will serve both as commemoration and a moment for renewed commitment to the implementation of the right to a healthy environment.

Other Themes

• The Working Group on the Rights of Peasants and other People Working in Rural Areas will present its report to the Council on “Right to seeds: custodianship, enclosure and resistance” (A/HRC/63/26). As seeds are foundational to food systems, biodiversity, culture and rural livelihoods, the report aims to clarify the content and scope of the right to seeds, assess challenges and good practices in its implementation, and formulate recommendations to States and other actors to ensure that seed governance frameworks are consistent with human rights, biodiversity conservation and food sovereignty.

Opening Session

The 63rd session of the Human Rights Council will kick off its four-and-a-half-week session in Geneva with an oral update by the High Commissioner for Human Rights, Volker Türk, on the global state of human rights. The opening took place on 7 September 2026, with a live stream on UN Web TV.

We live in an age of extremes. Raging wars, painful polarization, climate chaos, and head spinning technological change make people feel disoriented and even powerless.

Opening the oral update, High Commissioner Türk underscored that in there are strong forces working to create and sustain the feeling of powerlessness, wherein tech moguls, populists and vested interests amplified by social media echo chambers tell us these trends are inevitable. He underscores that the opposite is true: history is full of brave people who took action to resist oppression and demand their rights.

He placed great emphasis on the need to address unfamiliar and unprecedented threats to our rights, including that of artificial intelligence (AI) and new technologies.

When I hear about technology leading to extraordinary progress and prosperity, I can’t help asking, “Where will this prosperity come from if we don’t change the way we treat our planet?”

He emphasized that from scorched, exhausted and depleted land, technology is not a magic wand. Its development needs to be matched by action on the other challenges that we face, such as the climate crisis. He points out the massive hidden cost of fossil fuels to our health, economies and environment far exceeds what appears on our energy bills. He cites:

• The International Monetary Fund puts these costs at some $6.7 trillion per year, nearly 6 per cent of global GDP.
• Heatwaves in Europe have killed an estimated 35,000 people this summer, but the true toll is likely to be much higher.

He underscores that none of this is inevitable.

We must keep our focus on limiting global warming to 1.5 C as set out in the Paris Agreement by ensuring that the current overshoot is as small and as short as possible. We need to pursue investment in resilience, adaptation and early warning based on equity and solidarity.

These are human rights imperatives if we are to safeguard people from disasters like the current collapse of a glacier in Nepal and China. In Switzerland, an advanced early warning system made it possible to evacuate the entire village of Blatten before it was buried last year. Unfortunately, today’s investments and innovations seem to be driven by profit regardless of the costs. These business models are squeezing our planet and its people past breaking point.

He emphasized that human rights mut underpin all development efforts if they are truly to be sustainable, where work is being done for them to be at the heart of global policy, including the UN Tax Convention, International Panel on Equality, Loss and Damage Fund, and the emerging vision for Sustainable Development beyond 2030. He also highlighted work on ensuring the human rights economy become a universal model.

In the face of repression of human rights defenders by many States, he underscores the importance of defending civic space, freedom of expression, and peaceful protest.

We will be relentless to strengthen IL and the HR ecosystem that benefits us all. Some powers want to destroy all efforts at multilateral cooperation and replace them with transactional deal-making. They are undermining global cooperation on climate, health, women’s reproductive rights and beyond.

He highlighted the Global Alliance for Human Rights as a place where everyone working for human rights makes common cause and stands up to the anti-rights onslaught by co-creating solutions to the human rights challenges we face and connecting people through facts, compassion and the law. This is driven by the belief that human rights will help people of all our societies to realize their hope and aspirations in the spirit of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights which affirmed that everyone everywhere is born free and equal in dignity and rights. This means holding up a mirror to those in power, challenging the status quo and pushing the boundaries.

The only way to advance is through honest discussion, genuine engagement and working together. We will always talk to everyone and we will never give up on anyone. Human rights are a carriers of hope. They are a compass in turbulent times and they offer concrete solutions to our challenges.

Human Rights, Toxic Substances and Waste

Though integral to almost all sectors of society, the lack of environmentally sound management of chemicals and waste can have long-lasting negative impacts on human health, society and the environment. Such negative impacts violate our human right to live in a clean, healthy and sustainable environment. Human rights, toxic substances and waste are discussed at the September session of the Human Rights Council.

Human Rights, Hazardous Substances, and the Role of Geneva

Report | Forever chemicals and human rights

Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS), also known as ‘forever chemicals’, constitute a pervasive human-made class of chemicals whose extreme persistence and bioaccumulation, in addition to their hazardous properties, raise human rights concerns. Once released into the environment, PFAS spread and accumulate in the environment. There are no effective and scalable technologies available to remove PFAS from contaminated ecosystems. As highly persistent chemicals, the timescales of their impacts extend from decades to centuries and millennia. Thus, once released, PFAS cause accumulating and irreversible changes to the chemical composition of planet Earth.

PFAS are not only a diffuse planetary pollutant; they form part of a recurring pattern in which people living in poverty, racial and ethnic minorities, Indigenous Peoples and other groups in vulnerable situations are often systematically placed closer to PFAS sources, provided with less or no information and left to shoulder a disproportionate share of the health and psychosocial burdens. This raises environmental justice concerns at the global and local levels and ethical concerns regarding PFAS production and release that engage international human rights standards.

Human rights standards, including extraterritorial obligations, play a key role in confronting global PFAS contamination and widespread exposure. Adverse health impacts, including terminal illnesses, affect the rights to life and health. The persistence of PFAS and the toxicity of many PFAS undermine the right to a clean, healthy and sustainable environment. The obstacles posed to the accountability of polluters often undermine the right of access to justice and effective remedies.

The international regulatory landscape on PFAS remains markedly fragmented and limited in its coverage. In 2009, the Strategic Approach to International Chemicals Management (SAICM), which was established by the first International Conference on Chemicals Management in 2006, addressed PFAS as an “emerging policy issue”. In 2023, the Global Framework on Chemicals – For a Planet Free of Harm from Chemicals and Waste succeeded the Strategic Approach and its International Conference will decide upon PFAS as an “issue of concern” at its next session.

Under the Strategic Approach to International Chemicals Management, a programme on managing perfluorinated chemicals and the transition to safer alternatives was initiated, focusing on improving global knowledge about PFAS production, uses, emissions and impacts, and facilitating information exchange on alternatives and regulatory approaches. While some responses to the threats posed by PFAS predate the Strategic Approach, this cumulative body of work has been instrumental in informing responses at the global, regional and national levels.

The UN Special Rapporteur on toxics and human rights, Bethanie Carney Almroth, will present the report prepared by former mandate holder Marcos Orellana to the Council (A/HRC/63/27). The report examines how per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) impair the effective enjoyment of human rights. It explores how these highly persistent chemicals that lack analogues in the natural world have the potential to irreversibly alter the chemical composition of life-supporting ecosystems and impair human and environmental health. The report concludes that PFAS pose a profound threat to human rights and the environment that compels an immediate ban of all non-essential uses of PFAS and urgent action at every level to effectively control PFAS and prevent PFAS pollution.

Report | Country Visit to Mexico

The UN Special Rapporteur will also present the report of the previous mandate holder on his visit to Mexico (A/HRC/63/27/Add.1).

Interactive Dialogue

An interactive dialogue with the UN Special Rapporteur on the reports is expected to take place on 11 and 14 September 2026.

Report | Addressing the challenges and barriers to the full realization of the human rights of the people of the Marshall Islands stemming from the State’s nuclear legacy

Following OHCHR’s report on the nuclear legacy of the Marshall Islands (A/HRC/57/77) which was focused on the element of truth, OHCHR is requested by the Council (A/HRC/57/26) to prepare a second report (A/HRC/63/76) addressing the challenges and barriers to the full realization and enjoyment of the human rights of the people of the Marshall Islands, stemming from the State’s nuclear legacy, focused on the element of justice, as part of a transitional justice framework comprising the interrelated elements of truth, justice, reparation and guarantees of non-recurrence, encompassing State responsibility and individual criminal responsibility, as well as other measures of redress that complement and reinforce these processes.

The human rights impacts of the nuclear legacy are not only historical but ongoing, as the Marshallese people continue to face barriers in access to justice. The continued denial of an effective remedy is itself a human rights impact of the nuclear legacy, compounding and perpetuating underlying harm.

Victims of human rights violations, including violations of the right to a clean, healthy and sustainable environment within nuclear legacy contexts, have the right to an effective remedy and access to justice. A transitional justice framework – defined as the full range of processes and mechanisms associated with a society’s attempts to come to terms with a legacy of large-scale past abuses, in order to ensure accountability, serve justice and achieve reconciliation – has been identified as a means of fulfilling victims’ rights to truth, justice, reparation and guarantees of non-repetition.

Truth-seeking is a fundamental precursor to justice and accountability. As highlighted in the previous report on the nuclear legacy, effective truth-seeking processes can clarify facts, establish an authoritative record, identify responsibility and inform the application of appropriate remedies. One such example is the need for further investigation into accidental, negligent or intentional exposure to radiation, which would help to frame possible legal claims, as well as to identify the measures required to provide effective remedy.

Enhanced Interactive Dialogue

The Council has also requested OHCHR to prepare an enhanced interactive dialogue, with the participation of the National Nuclear Commission of the Marshall Islands, to take place on 1 October 2026.

Human Rights to Safe Drinking Water and Sanitation

Water and sanitation are recognized by the United Nations as human rights, reflecting the fundamental nature of these basics in every person’s life. Water access, water scarcity and related activities are found to have an important gender dimension, with women and girls collectively spending 200 million hours collecting water, which affects their education and working lives as well as their health and safety.

The Water Cycle and the Role of Geneva

Report | Making the human right to sanitation a reality for all

The UN Special Rapporteur on the human rights to safe drinking water and sanitation, Pedro Arrojo Agudo, is presenting his final report to the Council that will analyze the human right to sanitation (A/HRC/63/34). The human right to sanitation remains an unresolved challenge for millions of people, disproportionately affecting women, girls, and persons in vulnerable situations. Even though sanitation has been recognized as a distinct human right and has been a global policy priority for 16 years now, about 3.4 billion people worldwide still lack access to safely managed sanitation services. In comparison to the human right to safe drinking water, the human right to sanitation has clearly been relegated to a secondary position.

On the eve of the 2026 United Nations Water Conference to Accelerate the Implementation of Sustainable Development Goal 6 and the review of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, the Special Rapporteur on the human rights to safe drinking water and sanitation, Pedro Arrojo Agudo, issues a call for renewed commitment to the universal realization of the human right to sanitation for all.

Sanitation is not only a fundamental human right in itself, but also an indispensable enabler of numerous other human rights, including the human rights to safe drinking water, health, education, adequate housing and a clean, healthy and sustainable environment. Persistent gaps in access to sanitation continue to disproportionately affect those in vulnerable situations, exacerbating existing inequalities and undermining efforts to achieve inclusive development.

As the international community prepares for the forthcoming review of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and discussions on the post-2030 agenda, the Special Rapporteur urges States to recommit to the universal realization of sanitation as a human right and to place sanitation firmly at the centre of global water and development efforts. The report highlights the need to move beyond infrastructure targets and place human rights principles – such as equality, non-discrimination, participation, accountability and sustainability – at the centre of sanitation policies and investments.

Report | Country Visit to Egypt

The UN Special Rapporteur will present their report on their visit to Egypt (A/HRC/63/34/Add.1)

Interactive Dialogue

An interactive dialogue with the UN Special Rapporteur on the reports is expected to take place on 14 September 2026.

Climate Change and Human Rights

Climate change is one of the greatest existential threats for people and the planet. Its harmful effects undermine the full enjoyment and realization of all human rights, posing a serious risk to the fundamental rights to life, health, food and an adequate standard of living of individuals and communities across the world and disproportionately affecting those who are already in situations of vulnerability. International Geneva as a global hub for environmental governance plays a key role in advancing a human rights-based approach to climate action.

Human Rights, Climate Change, and the Role of Geneva

Report | Climate financing and human rights

The Human Rights Council, in its resolution 59/25 of 8 July 2025 entitled “Human rights and climate change” (para. 24), has requested the Secretary-General to consult Member States and other relevant stakeholders in order to prepare and submit to its sixty-third session a synthesis report (A/HRC/63/54) on actionable pathways in mobilizing sufficient climate financing and associated challenges and opportunities in the pursuit of the full realization of human rights for all people.

Interactive Dialogue

An interactive dialogue on the report is expected to take place on 16 September 2026.

Rights of Indigenous Peoples and the Environment

Protecting 80% of the world’s biodiversity, Indigenous Peoples are inheritors and practitioners of unique cultures and ways of relating to people and the environment. However, as they face discrimination due to their culture or attacked as they defend their rights, protecting their human rights is an indispensable element in protecting the environment.

Indigenous Peoples and the Role of Geneva

Report | Historical and contemporary forms of violations against Indigenous women and girls’ sexual and reproductive health and rights

The UN Special Rapporteur on the rights of Indigenous Peoples, Albert K. Barume, dedicates his annual report to the Human Rights Council to the theme “Historical and contemporary forms of violations against Indigenous women and girls’ sexual and reproductive health and rights » (A/HRC/63/30).

Upholding the sexual and reproductive health and rights of Indigenous women is essential to the survival, continuity and self-determination of Indigenous Peoples. Indigenous women are life-givers, knowledge holders, caregivers and transmitters of language, culture and identity. As a result, their bodies, reproductive capacities, family relationships and social roles have often been targeted in processes of territorial expansion, settler colonialism, colonization, racial domination and nation-building. Control over Indigenous women and their reproductive lives has frequently served as a means of asserting power over Indigenous Peoples, their lands, territories, resources and futures.

Violations of the sexual and reproductive health and rights of Indigenous women and girls are among the most pervasive, yet often least acknowledged, dimensions of the historical subjugation of Indigenous Peoples. The legacy of these practices remains visible today, as Indigenous women continue to experience disproportionately high rates of sexual violence, including leading to death, trafficking, reproductive coercion, maternal mortality, the forced removal of children, the criminalization of traditional health practices and barriers to access to culturally appropriate reproductive healthcare. These contemporary forms of violations are not disconnected from the past, but reflect the continuing effects of colonial structures, discriminatory laws and institutions, land dispossession and unresolved historical injustices.

In the report, the Special Rapporteur does not seek to provide an exhaustive account of all violations of Indigenous women’s sexual and reproductive health and rights. Rather, he seeks to identify major patterns of violations, examine the objectives that they have served, and in some cases continue to serve, and assess their lasting impacts. He also seeks to remind States of their obligations to ensure truth, justice, reparations and guarantees of non-repetition.

Nearly 20 years after the adoption of the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, these issues remain a matter of urgent concern. States have an ongoing responsibility to address the legacies of historical injustices and to ensure that Indigenous women and girls can fully enjoy their sexual and reproductive health and rights, both individually and collectively, as an integral part of Indigenous Peoples’ rights to self-determination, to the highest attainable standard of health, to cultural continuity and to survival. The report is structured around four primary drivers of the violation of the sexual and reproductive health and rights of Indigenous women and girls: (a) settler and colonial States; (b) harmful cultural practices and beliefs; (c) militarization, conflict, organized crime and economic interests; and (d) structural discrimination and environmental contamination.

Interactive Dialogue

An interactive dialogue with the UN Special Rapporteur is scheduled to take place on 23 September 2026.

Report | The rights of Indigenous Peoples in conflict and post-conflict situations

Pursuant to Human Rights Council resolution 33/25, during its eighteenth session in 2025, the Expert Mechanism on the rights of Indigenous Peoples (EMRIP) confirmed its decision to prepare a study on “the rights of Indigenous Peoples in conflict and post-conflict situations” (A/HRC/63/65). In the study, the Expert Mechanism examines the rights of Indigenous Peoples in conflict and post-conflict situations, identifying key conflict dynamics arising from historical injustices, dispossession of lands and resources, denial of self-determination and systemic inequalities. The study highlights the disproportionate impact of conflict on Indigenous Peoples, including violence, displacement, environmental degradation and the erosion of cultural and governance systems, as well as pressure linked to climate change and resource competition.

The Expert Mechanism concludes that post-conflict processes often fail to address the underlying drivers of conflict. It affirms that peace and security depend on Indigenous Peoples’ ability to exercise their rights, including the rights to self-determination and to control over their lands and territories. It underscores the need to recognize Indigenous Peoples as rights holders and key actors in conflict prevention and sustainable peace and identifies good practices such as the recognition of land and resource rights, free, prior and informed consent, and effective participation in decision-making. Expert Mechanism Advice No. 19 (2026) on the rights of Indigenous Peoples in conflict and post-conflict situations is annexed to the study.

Interactive Dialogue

An interactive dialogue with the Expert Mechanism is scheduled to take place on 23 September 2026.

Annual Panel Discussion | Convention for the Protection of the World Cultural and Natural Heritage: Indigenous Peoples’ rights and engagement

Following the resolution adopted by the Council in its sixtieth session (A/HRC/RES/60/13), the theme of the annual half-day panel discussion on the rights of Indigenous Peoples, to be held during the sixty-third session of the Human Rights Council, will be on “Convention for the Protection of the World Cultural and Natural Heritage: Indigenous Peoples’ rights and engagement”.

Many places and areas designated as World Heritage sites under UNESCO’s 1972 World Heritage Convention, as well as many areas included on States Parties’ Tentative Lists (of sites that they consider nominating to the World Heritage List in the future), are fully or partially located within the lands and territories of Indigenous Peoples. Indigenous Peoples have long been stewards of these places, and their knowledge, practices, and relationships with the land have been central to protecting, creating, developing, and safeguarding their cultural and natural values.

When designed and managed with the inclusion and full and effective participation of Indigenous Peoples, and with respect for their collective rights and cultures, World Heritage status can help protect ancestral territories and cultural heritage, support livelihoods, and advance self-determined development. There are positive examples of sites nominated at the initiative of Indigenous Peoples themselves and managed through consensual, participatory governance frameworks that recognize them as primary actors in decision-making and site management.

However, as noted by the Expert Mechanism on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (A/HRC/30/53) and the Special Rapporteur on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (A/77/238), the establishment and management of World Heritage sites can also negatively affect Indigenous Peoples when their human rights are not respected or protected. Indigenous Peoples have raised concerns about exclusion from nomination and management processes, loss of control over lands and resources, restrictions on access and use, limited sharing of tourism benefits, and lack of consultation in monitoring and evaluation.

The panel discussion aims to examine the impact of the World Heritage Convention on the human rights of Indigenous Peoples, focusing on issues related to lands, territories and resources; access to religious and cultural sites; the right of Indigenous Peoples to maintain, control, protect and develop their cultural heritage; and the right of Indigenous Peoples to freely pursue their economic, social and cultural development. The panel will aim facilitate the sharing of experiences regarding the recognition of Indigenous Peoples’ cultural values and rights and identify good practices and challenges in the engagement and inclusion of Indigenous Peoples in the identification, nomination, declaration, management, and protection of World Heritage sites and the implementation of the World Heritage Convention.

The panel discussion is scheduled to take place on 23 September 2026.

Right to Development and the Environment

Report | Participation in development: taking the right to development seriously

The UN Special Rapporteur on the right to development, Surya Deva, in his report to the Council (A/HRC/63/32) will provide practical guidance on ensuring active, free and meaningful participation in development, in line with the model of “planet-centred participatory development”.

Active, free and meaningful participation in decision-making is a core element of the right to development, as highlighted in various Conventions and Declarations throughout the years.

• Article 1(1) of the 1986 Declaration on the Right to Development provides that “every human person and all peoples are entitled to participate in, contribute to, and enjoy economic, social, cultural and political development, in which all human rights and fundamental freedoms can be fully realized.”
• Article 2(3) of the Declaration reminds States about their “duty to formulate appropriate national development policies that aim at the constant improvement of the well-being of the entire population and of all individuals, on the basis of their active, free and meaningful participation in development”.
• Article 8(2) further provides that “States should encourage popular participation in all spheres as an important factor in development and in the full realization of all human rights.”
• The 1992 Rio Declaration on Environment and Development, the 1993 Vienna Declaration and Programme of Action, the 1995 Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action and the 2025 Doha Political Declaration of the World Social Summit under the title “the Second World Summit for Social Development” also affirm the value of participation of rightsholders in decision-making processes.
• Similarly, the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development underscores the importance of participation in several goals: women’s full and effective participation at all levels of decision-making in political, economic and public life (Goal 5.5), the participation of local communities in improving water and sanitation management (Goal 6.b) and the participation of developing countries in the institutions of global governance (Goal 16.8).
• Moreover, the Regional Agreement on Access to Information, Public Participation and Justice in Environmental Matters in Latin America and the Caribbean (Escazú Agreement) and the UNECE Convention on Access to Information, Public Participation in Decision-making and Access to Justice in Environmental Matters (Aarhus Convention) reinforce the importance of participation in decisions related to the environment.
• The importance of active, free and meaningful participation is also recognised in the ASEAN Declaration on Promoting the Right to Development and the Right to Peace Towards Realising Inclusive and Sustainable Development.

Despite such a strong and explicit normative basis, decisions of States, UN entities, multilateral development banks and businesses regarding development-related policies, programmes and projects rarely ensure active, free and meaningful participation of individuals and communities. Consultations are often tick-box exercises to provide legitimacy to decisions already made. Individual and groups made vulnerable or marginalized face additional challenges in getting their voices heard. Moreover, in many cases, the enabling ecosystem – e.g., access to information, availability of expertise and resources, civic space and good governance – to facilitate active, free and meaningful participation is missing at all levels of governance.

Interactive Dialogue

An interactive dialogue with the Special Rapporteur is scheduled to take place on 11 September 2026.

Thematic Study | Climate finance: vulnerability and responsibility

In its thematic study to be presented to HRC63 (A/HRC/63/39), the Expert Mechanism on the Right to Development analysed processes and innovative practices that contribute to financing climate transition and development at various levels, identifying the conditions under which they are compatible with the right to development. The Expert Mechanism examined the implementation of mechanisms established under the Kyoto Protocol to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change and paid special attention to article 6 of the Paris Agreement pertaining to carbon markets. It considered clean cooking initiatives, which contribute to carbon dioxide mitigation, forest preservation and the improvement of women’s life, while also exploring the extraction, refining and supply chains of critical minerals, essential tools for climate transition and possible sources of revenues for producers in developing countries. It also focused on the actions and enabling conditions for the repatriation of illicit financial flows to developing countries, as a means of supporting climate adaptation and transition efforts.

Thematic Study | Artificial Intelligence, Cultural Rights, and the Right to Development

In its thematic study to be presented to HRC63 (A/HRC/63/40), the Expert Mechanism on the Right to Development examines the implications of artificial intelligence (AI) systems for the enjoyment of cultural rights under article 15 of the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights, and their relationship with the right to development. The study assesses the impact of AI systems on participation in cultural life, access to and enjoyment of the benefits of scientific progress and its applications, and the protection of the moral and material interests of authors. It further analyses the effects of AI on cultural diversity, cultural production and equitable participation in development processes.

Particular attention is given to Indigenous Peoples, minorities, small-scale cultural producers and artists, and developing countries, including in relation to data practices and the concentration of technological and market power. The study also considers the role of private actors, including transnational corporations, in shaping access to data, digital infrastructures and AI systems, and the implications thereof for cultural participation and benefit-sharing. The analysis focuses on four areas: (a) creative industries and cultural labour; (b) Indigenous Peoples and traditional knowledge systems; (c) philosophical and epistemic dimensions of AI; and (d) regulatory approaches at the domestic, regional and international levels. The study is guided by the principles of participation, equity and accountability.

Interactive Dialogue

An interactive dialogue with the Expert Mechanism on the thematic studies is scheduled to take place on 11 September 2026.

Biennial Panel Discussion | Commemoration of the fortieth anniversary of the Declaration on the Right to Development

The 40th anniversary of the Declaration on the Right to Development (DRTD) offers a timely moment to take stock of progress and to confront persistent and emerging obstacles. While the right to development has informed numerous United Nations mechanisms, regional frameworks and national policies, its full realization remains elusive. Entrenched and interconnected challenges including persistent and deepening inequalities, unsustainable debt burdens, unequal trade regulations and unlawful measures of economic coercion, declining development financing, the adverse human rights impacts of illicit financial flows, and the escalating climate crisis continue to impede the enjoyment of the right to development, particularly in developing countries.

Over the past decade, the Human Rights Council has strengthened the institutional architecture on the right to development, including through the renewal of the mandate of the Special Rapporteur, the establishment of the Expert Mechanism on the Right to Development, and the ongoing work of the intergovernmental Working Group on the Right to Development. Moreover, the ongoing elaboration of a draft International Covenant on the Right to Development represents a significant step towards a legally binding framework. The 40th anniversary provides an opportunity to reflect on how these mechanisms, and the draft covenant can contribute to a practical road map for operationalizing the right to development in the years ahead.

The right to development – with its emphasis on participation, equity, international cooperation, the duty to cooperate, and the indivisibility of all human rights – offers a critical normative foundation for implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals and shaping future development pathways. This panel will therefore explore how the DRTD framework can inform implementation of the 2030 agenda and beyond that is rights‑based, inclusive and transformative, ensuring that no one is left behind and that the next development framework is grounded in international human rights law.

The panel discussion is scheduled to take place on 11 September 2026.

Rights of Peasants and Other People Working in Rural Areas and the Environment

The Working Group on the Rights of Peasants and other People Working in Rural Areas will present their report to the Council on « Right to Seeds » (A/HRC/63/26). Seeds are foundational to food systems, biodiversity, culture and rural livelihoods. They constitute the starting point of food production and are central to the ways in which peasants and Indigenous Peoples have developed, preserved and transmitted agricultural knowledge adapted to diverse ecological conditions across generations.

Seeds play a critical role in maintaining agricultural biodiversity, as they embody the genetic diversity necessary to enhance resilience to pests, diseases, environmental degradation and climate variability. Beyond their biological function, seeds are also closely linked to cultural heritage, social relations and, in some contexts, spiritual and ceremonial practices. For peasants and other people working in rural areas globally, including Indigenous Peoples, pastoralists, fishers and forest peoples, seeds are inseparable from livelihoods and autonomy. The ability to cultivate, harvest, save, exchange and improve seeds underpins food security, income generation, self-determination and the sustainability of rural communities. Peasant seed systems have historically sustained a wide diversity of crops and plant varieties adapted to local ecosystems and climatic conditions, contributing to food sovereignty, nutrition and resilience.

The United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Peasants and Other People Working in Rural Areas (UNDROP) explicitly recognizes the right to seeds (article 19), including the right of peasants to save, use, exchange and sell farm-saved seeds and propagating material. International environmental and agricultural frameworks also reinforce the protection of peasant seed systems, such as the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) and the International Treaty on Plant Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture (ITPGRFA). Despite these normative frameworks, seed systems worldwide are increasingly shaped by legal, economic and technological developments, which in some contexts, may undermine peasant seed systems.

In line with its mandate to promote and monitor the implementation of UNDROP, the Working Group on peasants is preparing a thematic report to clarify the content and scope of the right to seeds, assess challenges and good practices in its implementation, and formulate recommendations to States and other actors to ensure that seed governance frameworks are consistent with human rights, biodiversity conservation and food sovereignty.

Interactive Dialogue

An interactive dialogue with the Working Group is scheduled to take place on 16 September 2026.

Right to a Clean, Healthy and Sustainable Environment

Celebrating 5 Years of the Recognition of the Right to a Healthy Environment

On 8 October 2021, the UN Human Rights Council adopted resolution 48/13 recognizing that a clean, healthy and sustainable environment is a human right, placing it at the forefront of the human rights agenda. Not only is this a catalyst for accelerated action to tackle the triple planetary crisis, but it also places our attention on people and communities in vulnerable situations. This landmark moment, alongside its recognition by the UN General Assembly in July 2022, has sent a powerful message that there is widespread, worldwide support for this right, already recognized by 85 per cent of the countries at the national and regional levels – 166 out of 193 UN Member States.

Ahead of the fifth anniversary of this recognition, a celebration is scheduled to take place at this session of the Council. The celebration aims to provide an opportunity to celebrate advances and to assess the evolution of the right. The fifth anniversary of the milestone will serve both as commemoration and a moment for renewed commitment to the implementation of the right to a healthy environment. → Join the celebration taking place in Palais des Nations, Concordia 1 on 24 September 2026 from 12:00 to 13:00 CEST.

Reception

A reception in celebration of the fifth anniversary of the recognition is taking place at Palais des Nations, Salle des Pas Perdus on 24 September 2026 from 17:30 to 19:00 CEST.

Other Themes

High-Level Panel Discussion | The sixtieth anniversary of the International Covenants on Human Rights: universality, indivisibility, interdependence and interrelatedness of all human rights

The Human Rights Council has decided to convene at its sixty-third session a high-level panel discussion accessible for persons with disabilities on the topic “The sixtieth anniversary of the International Covenants on Human Rights: universality, indivisibility, interdependence and interrelatedness of all human rights”, in order to give the sixtieth anniversary of the International Covenants on Human Rights attention commensurate with its historical significance.

The high-level panel is scheduled to take place on 17 September 2026.

Thematic Report | Civil Society Space

In its resolution 59/10, the Human Rights Council requested the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights to “prepare a thematic report in follow-up to the report containing practical recommendations for the creation and maintenance of a safe and enabling environment for civil society, based on good practices and lessons learned, submitted to the Human Rights Council at its thirty-second session, to review progress against the recommendations contained therein, to identify new and emerging trends concerning civil society space, including through an analysis of the specific contribution and risks faced by underrepresented parts of civil society, and to provide an updated set of recommendations in the light of those trends, and to present the report to the Council at its sixty-third session” (A/HRC/63/XX).

The report is expected to be presented on 16 September 2026.

Report | Impact of the use of strategic lawsuits against public participation on the enjoyment and realization of human rights, in particular the right to freedom of opinion and expression

In resolution 56/7 the Human Rights Council requested OHCHR to convene a half-day expert workshop « on the impact of the use of strategic lawsuits against public participation on the enjoyment and realization of human rights and to exchange good practices and promote approaches to counter these challenges while protecting and reinforcing human rights standards ». A report on the inputs is expected to be presented at this session of the Council (A/HRC/63/47).

Report | Local government and human rights

The Human Rights Council resolution 57/12 on local government and human rights requests the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights to convene a one-day panel discussion to exchange and review the best practices of States, local governments and other relevant stakeholders in overcoming the various challenges that local governments face in promoting and protecting human rights, including those related to better coordination and cooperation between national and local governments, human rights education and capacity-building for local government officials and supporting better engagement of local governments in the work of United Nations human rights mechanisms, and to prepare and present a report for the sixty-third session of the Council (A/HRC/63/49).

The report is expected to be presented on 16 September 2026.

Appointments at HRC63

The Human Rights Council is expected to appoint expert mechanism and special procedure mandate holders at its 63rd session, including for the UN Special Rapporteur on the human rights to safe drinking water and sanitation.

Events

Date and time of some events subject to change on the live-updated programme of work on the HRC Portal and Sched.

Deadline for side events applications (NGOs)

5 August 2026 | 12:00 CEST

NGO Registration

Human Rights and the Environment: Meeting on Activities Related to 63rd Session of the Human Rights Council

20 August 2026 | 10:00–11:00 CEST | IEH1 & Online, Webex

Organizational meeting for the 63rd session of the Human Rights Council

24 August 2026 | 15:00–18:00 CEST | Palais des Nations, Assembly Hall & Online

Inscription on the lists of speakers | NGOs

1 September 2026 | 14:00 CEST

Opening of the session and Oral update by the High Commissioner

7 September 2026 | 10:00–10:30 CEST | Palais des Nations, Assembly Hall & Online

Climate Finance for Human Rights, Resilience and Justice | HRC63 Side Event

7 September 2026 | 14:00–15:00 CEST | Palais des Nations, Room XI

Franciscans International, Geneva Interfaith Forum on Climate Change, Environment and Human Rights, ACT Alliance, Quaker United Nations Office, Dominicans for Justice and Peace, Soka Gakkai International, World Council of Churches, Lutheran World Federation, Christian Aid

Informal consultations on the draft resolution on technical assistance and capacity-building to address the human rights implications of the nuclear legacy in the Marshall Islands

8 September 2026 | 10:30–12:00 CEST | Palais des Nations, Concordia 1

Marshall Islands

Climate justice and human rights in contexts of foreign occupation | HRC63 Side Event

8 September 2026 | 14:00–15:00 CEST | Palais des Nations, Concordia 1

Mozambique, on behalf of the Geneva Support Group for Western Sahara

Informal consultations on the draft resolution on human rights implications of the use and testing of nuclear weapons

9 September 2026 | 15:00–16:30 CEST | Palais des Nations, Concordia 1

Kazakhstan

Biennial panel discussion on the right to development | Commemoration of the fortieth anniversary of the Declaration on the Right to Development

11 September 2026 | 10:00–12:00 CEST | Palais des Nations, Assembly Hall & Online

Informal consultations on the draft resolution on human rights implications of the use and testing of nuclear weapons

11 September 2026 | 12:00–13:00 CEST | Palais des Nations, Room III

Kazakhstan

Participatory development: Why it matters and how to achieve it | HRC63 Side Event

11 September 2026 | 14:00–15:00 CEST | Palais des Nations, Concordia 1

India & SR right to development

Women's Technological Leadership in Facilitating Just Transitions in the Climate Crisis | HRC63 Side Event

11 September 2026 | 14:00–15:00 CEST | Palais des Nations, Room XI

WOMENVAI – Women and Men in Environment and Artificial Intelligence

Interactive Dialogue with SR right to development

11 September 2026 | 16:15–18:00 CEST | Palais des Nations, Assembly Hall & Online

Informal consultations on the draft resolution on human rights and Indigenous Peoples

14 September 2026 | 9:00–10:30 CEST | Palais des Nations, Room III

Guatemala and Mexico

Interactive Dialogue with Expert Mechanism on the right to development

14 September 2026 | 10:00–11:15 CEST | Palais des Nations, Assembly Hall & Online        

Interactive Dialogue with SR toxics and human rights

14 September 2026 | 11:15–13:00 CEST | Palais des Nations, Assembly Hall & Online

Water Scarcity and Human Rights | HRC63 Side Event

14 September 2026 | 12:00–13:00 CEST | Palais des Nations, Room XI

Global Institute for Water, Environment and Health

Role of Science in Addressing Hazardous Substances and Human Rights | HRC63 Side Event

14 September 2026 | 13:00–14:00 CEST | Palais des Nations, Room XI

Earthjustice

Interactive Dialogue with SR rights to water and sanitation

14 September 2026 | 15:00–16:45 CEST | Palais des Nations, Assembly Hall & Online

Corporate Influence in the Context of Health and Environmental Protection — What role for human rights and accountability? | HRC63 Side Event

14 September 2026 | 15:00–16:00 CEST | Palais des Nations, Room XI

CIEL, FIAN

Informal consultations on the draft resolution on the human rights to safe drinking water and sanitation

14 September 2026 | 16:30–18:00 CEST | Palais des Nations, Room III

Germany and Spain

Informal Meet-and-Greet with SR toxics and human rights

15 September 2026 | 8:30–9:45 CEST | La Pastorale, Route de Ferney 106

Closed meeting, open to Indigenous Peoples and civil society organizations.

Horizon Scanning: a conversation with the Special Rapporteur on the implications for human rights of the environmentally sound management and disposal of hazardous substances and wastes on the priorities for the mandate | HRC63 Side Event

15 September 2026 | 12:00–13:00 CEST | Palais des Nations, Room III

SR toxics

COP Process: Role of the Human Rights System in Advancing Accountability | HRC63 Side Event

15 September 2026 | 16:00–17:00 CEST | Palais des Nations, Room XI

Americans for Democracy & Human Rights in Bahrain Inc

Informal consultations on the draft resolution on human rights and Indigenous Peoples

16 September 2026 | 9:00–10:30 CEST | Palais des Nations, Room III

Guatemala and Mexico

Interactive Dialogue with WG on rights of peasants

16 September 2026 | 10:45–12:00 CEST onwards | Palais des Nations, Assembly Hall & Online

Interactive dialogue on the Secretary General's report on actionable pathways in mobilizing sufficient climate financing

16 September 2026 | 12:00 CEST onwards| Palais des Nations, Assembly Hall & Online

Toxic Substances and Waste and Human Rights: Challenges, Responsibilities and Ways of Achieving Solutions | HRC63 Side Event

16 September 2026 | 13:00–14:00 CEST | Palais des Nations, Concordia 1

Côte d’Ivoire, Democratic Republic of the Congo, African Group, RADDHO, and Earthjustice

Turning the Spotlight on the Right to Sanitation | HRC63 Side Event

16 September 2026 | 14:00–15:00 CEST | Palais des Nations, Concordia 1

SR water and sanitation, Germany, Spain

Informal consultations on the draft resolution on the human rights to safe drinking water and sanitation

16 September 2026 | 15:00–16:30 CEST | Palais des Nations, Concordia 1

Germany and Spain

Presentation of SG/HC thematic reports, briefing by ECOSOC President, reports of WG right to development, IGWG private mil. sec. companies and IGWG older persons

16 September 2026 | 17:15–18:00 CEST | Palais des Nations, Assembly Hall & Online

Informal consultations on the draft resolution on technical assistance and capacity-building to address the human rights implications of the nuclear legacy in the Marshall Islands

16 September 2026 | 16:30–18:00 CEST | Palais des Nations, Concordia 1

Marshall Islands

Informal consultations on the draft resolution on human rights and Indigenous Peoples

17 September 2026 | 9:00–10:30 CEST | Palais des Nations, Room III

Guatemala and Mexico

High-level panel discussion on the sixtieth anniversary of the International Covenants on Human Rights

17 September 2026 | 10:00–12:00 CEST | Palais des Nations, Assembly Hall & Online

Our Seeds, Our Rights, Our Future: Resisting the Criminalization of Peasant Seeds | HRC63 Side Event

17 September 2026 | 13:00–14:00 CEST | Palais des Nations, Room XI

FIAN International, CETIM, La Via Campesina, RAISE, Friends of the UNDROP

60 Years of the ICCPR and ICESCR: Are the Covenants Still Fit for Today’s Human Rights Challenges? | HRC63 Side Event

17 September 2026 | 14:00–15:00 CEST | Palais des Nations, Room XI

FES, Center for Civil and Political Rights, and Global Initative for ESCRs

Human Rights to Water and Sanitation in Times of Conflict | HRC63 Side Event

17 September 2026 | 14:00–15:00 CEST | Palais des Nations, Concordia 4 & Online

OHCHR, Germany, Spain, Lebanon, Slovenia, Bangladesh, SR water and sanitation

Informal consultations on the draft resolution on the human rights to safe drinking water and sanitation

18 September 2026 | 10:30–12:00 CEST | Palais des Nations, Room V

Germany and Spain

Informal consultations on the draft resolution on human rights and Indigenous Peoples

18 September 2026 | 10:30–12:00 CEST | Palais des Nations, Concordia 1

Guatemala and Mexico

Informal consultations on the draft resolution on human rights and Indigenous Peoples

22 September 2026 | 9:00–10:30 CEST | Palais des Nations, Concordia 1

Guatemala and Mexico

Guidance on the right of Indigenous Peoples to free, prior and informed consent in the context of business activities | HRC63 Side Event

22 September 2026 | 13:00–14:00 CEST | Palais des Nations, H-207-208-209

WG on Business and Human Rights, IPRI, ISHR, BHRC

Nuclear Justice and Transitional Justice | HRC63 Side Event

22 September 2026 | 13:00–14:30 CEST | Palais des Nations, S4

Marshall Islands, Fiji, Micronesia, Nauru, Samoa, Vanuatu, Pacific Islands Forum, ICAN, Marshallese Education Initiative, WCC

Annual panel discussion on the rights of Indigenous Peoples

23 September 2026 | 10:00–12:00 CEST | Palais des Nations, Assembly Hall & Online

Interactive Dialogue with SR on rights of Indigenous Peoples

23 September 2026 | 12:00 CEST onwards | Palais des Nations, Assembly Hall & Online

Interactive Dialogue with Expert Mechanism on the rights of Indigenous Peoples

23 September 2026 | 15:45–17:15 CEST | Palais des Nations, Assembly Hall & Online

A Celebration and Stocktaking: Five years since the recognition of the human right to a clean, healthy and sustainable environment | HRC63 Side Event

24 September 2026 | 12:00–13:00 CEST | Palais des Nations, Concordia 1

SR right to healthy environment, Costa Rica, Maldives, Morocco, Slovenia

Advancing Indigenous Peoples' Rights - From Recognition to an Effective Roadmap | HRC63 Side Event

24 September 2026 | 13:00–14:00 CEST | Palais des Nations, Concordia 1

Botswana

Situation of Women Environmental Human Rights Defenders in the Context of Conflict and Climate | HRC63 Side Event

24 September 2026 | 13:00–14:00 CEST | Palais des Nations, Room XI

ISHR

Draft Proposals | Submission Deadline

24 September 2026 | 13:00 CEST

Reception | Fifth Anniversary of the Recognition of the Right to a Clean, Healthy and Sustainable Environment by the Human Rights Council | HRC63 Side Event

24 September 2026 | 17:30–19:00 CEST | Palais des Nations, Salle des Pas Perdues

SR right to healthy environment

Coastal Cities Towns & Settlements on the Front Line: Protecting People from Sea-Level Rise – Towards a human rights agenda for liveable, inclusive and resilient cities | HRC63 Side Event

25 September 2026 | 12:00–13:00 CEST | Palais des Nations, Concordia 1

Dominican Republic, The Bahamas, Cabo Verde, Cyprus, Ecuador, Maldives, Malta

Right to Free, Prior and Informed Consent | HRC63 Side Event

25 September 2026 | 12:00–13:00 CEST | Palais des Nations, Room XI

Conselho Indigenista Missionário CIMI

Implementation of the rights of Indigenous Peoples: experiences and good practices on participation, consultation, and free, prior and informed consent | HRC63 Side Event

25 September 2026 | 14:00–15:00 CEST | Palais des Nations, Room XI

Guatemala and Mexico

Commemorating 80 years since the first nuclear weapons test in Marshall Islands | Concert by MARK Harmony

25 September 2026 | TBC CEST | TBC

Marshall Islands

67 Bombs to Enid | Film Screening and Panel Discussion

28 September 2026 | 15:00–17:00 CEST | Palais des Nations, Room XIV

Marshall Islands

Human Rights in the Marshall Islands | HRC63 Side Event

29 September 2026 | 15:00–16:00 CEST | Palais des Nations, Concordia 1

United Church of Christ – Board for World Ministries

Enhanced Interactive Dialogue on OHCHR report on challenges and barriers to the full realization of human rights of people of the Marshall Islands, stemming from the State’s nuclear legacy

1 October 2026 | 15:45–17:30 CEST | Palais des Nations, Assembly Hall & Online

Human Rights at the 17th Conference of the Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity | HRC63 Side Event

2 October 2026 | 12:00–13:00 CEST | Palais des Nations, Room XI

Armenia, OHCHR, GEN

Decisions and Conclusions

5–7 October 2026 | Palais des Nations, Assembly Hall & Online

Reports

Reports to be presented at HRC63 relating to the global environmental agenda will be listed below. The full list of reports can be consulted on the HRC website.

• A/HRC/63/26 | Right to seeds: custodianship, enclosure and resistance | UN Working Group on the rights of peasants and other people working in rural areas
• A/HRC/63/26/Add.1 | Visit to Ghana | UN Working Group on the rights of peasants and other people working in rural areas
• A/HRC/63/26/Add.2 | Visit to Ghana – Comments by the State
• A/HRC/63/27 | Forever chemicals and human rights | UN Special Rapporteur on the implications for human rights of the environmentally sound management and disposal of hazardous substances and wastes
• A/HRC/63/27/Add.1 | Visit to Mexico | UN Special Rapporteur on the implications for human rights of the environmentally sound management and disposal of hazardous substances and wastes
• A/HRC/63/27/Add.2 | Visit to Mexico – Comments by the State (Spanish only)
• A/HRC/63/30 | Historical and contemporary forms of violations against the sexual and reproductive health and rights of Indigenous women and girls | UN Special Rapporteur on the rights of Indigenous Peoples
• A/HRC/63/30/Add.1 | Visit to Botswana | UN Special Rapporteur on the rights of Indigenous Peoples
• A/HRC/63/30/Add.2 | Visit to Botswana – Comments by the State
• A/HRC/63/32 | Participation in development: taking the right to development seriously | UN Special Rapporteur on the right to development
• A/HRC/63/32/Add.1 | Visit to Germany | UN Special Rapporteur on the right to development
• A/HRC/63/32/Add.2 | Visit to Germany – Comments by the State
• A/HRC/63/34 | Making the human right to sanitation a reality for all | UN Special Rapporteur on the human rights to safe drinking water and sanitation
• A/HRC/63/34/Add.1 | Visit to Egypt | UN Special Rapporteur on the human rights to safe drinking water and sanitation
• A/HRC/63/34/Add.2 | Visit to Egypt – Comments by the State
• A/HRC/63/39 | Climate finance: vulnerability and responsibility | UN Expert Mechanism on the Right to Development
• A/HRC/63/40 | Artificial intelligence, cultural rights and the right to development | UN Expert Mechanism on the Right to Development
• A/HRC/63/45 | Rights of Indigenous Peoples | UN High Commissioner for Human Rights
• A/HRC/63/47 | Impact of the use of strategic lawsuits against public participation on the enjoyment and realization of human rights, in particular the right to freedom of opinion and expression | Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights
• A/HRC/63/52 | Protecting human rights defenders in the digital age | Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights
• A/HRC/63/53 | Practical recommendations for the creation and maintenance of a safe and enabling environment for civil society | United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights
• A/HRC/63/54 | Synthesis report on actionable pathways in mobilizing sufficient climate financing and associated challenges and opportunities in the pursuit of the full realization of human rights for all people | UN Secretary-General
• A/HRC/63/64 | Annual report of the Expert Mechanism on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples
• A/HRC/63/65 | Study of the Expert Mechanism on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples
• A/HRC/63/76 | Addressing the challenges and barriers to the full realization and enjoyment of the human rights of the people of the Marshall Islands stemming from the State’s nuclear legacy | Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights

Resolutions and Decisions

Resolutions and decisions (found on the HRC63 website) relating to the global environmental agenda to be tabled or adopted by their main sponsors at HRC63 and their subsequent decisions are listed below. A summary of actions on the resolutions will be provided by the Geneva Centre for Human Rights Advancement and Global Dialogue.

At the organizational meeting for HRC63, Member States announced initiatives they intend to take during the session. These include possible environment-related resolutions, including:

• Mandate of Special Rapporteur on the implications for human rights of the environmentally sound management and disposal of hazardous substances and wastes | Group of African States
• Human rights to safe drinking water and sanitation | Spain and Germany
• Human rights and Indigenous Peoples | Mexico and Guatemala
• Addressing the challenges and barriers to the full realization and enjoyment of the human rights of the people of the Marshall Islands, stemming from the State’s nuclear legacy | Marshall Islands, Fiji, Micronesia, Nauru, Samoa, Vanuatu
• Human rights implications of the use and testing of nuclear weapons | Kazakhstan

Call for Submissions

Special Procedures

The special procedure mandate-holders are independent human rights experts who help advance human rights, by reporting and advancing from a country-specific or thematic perspective, some of which are related to the environment. Calls for submissions are made to help mandate-holders prepare their reports to the Human Rights Council.

Videos and Highlights

Videos and highlights of related events will be featured in this section.

Links and Resources

• 63rd session of the UN Human Rights Council
• UNOG Library | Conference Primer – HRC63
• GCHRAGD | Updates on HRC63
• ISHR | HRC63 | Key issues on agenda
• URG | Inside Track: HRC63
• GEN | Human Rights and the Environment

News and Updates

Relevant news and updates are featured in this section.

Past HRC Sessions

Environment @ HRC62 | Environment @ HRC61 | Environment @ HRC60 | Environment @ HRC59 | Environment @ HRC58 | Environment @ HRC57 | Environment @ HRC56 | Environment @ HRC55 | Environment @ HRC54 | Environment @ HRC53 | Environment @ HRC52 | Environment @ HRC51 | Environment @ HRC50 | Environment @ HRC49 | Environment @ HRC48 | Environment @ HRC47 | Environment @ HRC46 | Environment @ HRC45 | Environment @ HRC44 | Environment @ HRC43

Who to Follow on X

#HRC63

@UN_HRC | UN Human Rights Council
@IndonesiaGeneva | Permanent Mission of Indonesia to the United Nations Office and other international organizations in Geneva, President of the Human Rights Council in 2026
@ONUGinebraEC | Permanent Mission of Ecuador to the United Nations Office and other international organizations in Geneva
@marcevzb | H.E. Amb. Marcelo Vàzquez Bermúdez, Permanent Representative of Ecuador to the United Nations Office and other international organizations in Geneva, Vice-President of the Human Rights Council in 2026
@EstoniaGeneva | Permanent Mission of Estonia to the United Nations Office and other international organizations in Geneva, Vice-President of the Human Rights Council in 2026
@SpainUNGeneva | Permanent Mission of Spain to the United Nations Office and other international organizations in Geneva, Vice-President of the Human Rights Council in 2026
@UNHumanRights | The Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (UN Human Rights)
@volker_turk | UN High Commissioner for Human Rights
@Dabokunda | UN Deputy High Commissioner for Human Rights
@SREnvironment | Astrid Puentes Riaño, SR on the right to a clean, healthy, and sustainable environment (also @astridpuentes)
@SRclimatechange | Elisa Morgera, SR on the promotion and protection of human rights in the context of climate change
@SRtoxics | Bethanie Carney Almroth, SR on toxics and human rights
@AlbertBarume | Albert K. Barume, SR indigenous peoples
@SRWatSan | Pedro Arrojo Agudo, SR on rights to water and sanitation
@MichaelFakhri | Michael Fakhri, SR on right to food
@AXanthaki | Alexandra Xanthaki, SR on cultural rights
@SRpoverty | Olivier De Schutter, SR on poverty and human rights (also @DeSchutterO)
@ISHRglobal | The International Service for Human Rights
@FranciscansIntl | Franciscans International
@Geneva_Academy | Geneva Academy of International Humanitarian Law and Human Rights
@hrw | Human Rights Watch
@URGthinktank | Universal Rights Group (URG)
@YvesLador | Special Representative of Earthjustice in Geneva
@duycks | Senior Attorney – Climate and Energy Programme at the Center for International Environmental Law
@katha_nina | Katharina Rall, Senior Environment Researcher at Human Rights Watch
@ChildRightsCnct | Child Rights Connect
@CERI_Coalition | Children’s Environmental Rights Initiative (CERI)
@CRINwire | Child Rights International Network