UNITAR-Yale Conference Keynote Speech of UN Independent Expert on Human Rights and the Environment Now Online
November 2014, Geneva, Switzerland - Professor John Knox, UN Independent Expert on Human Rights and the Environment, kindly filmed his key note speech which he delivered at Yale Law School for the 3rd UNITAR-Yale Conference on Environmental Governance & Democracy, held from 5 to 7 September 2014. His speech provides state-of-the-art reflections on the interface of human rights and the environment, from the Universal Declaration of Human Rights in 1949 to the challenges human rights defenders in are facing when supporting marginalized people in securing a right to life and a healthy environment.
The Conference brought together more than 150 scholars and policy experts to discuss state-of-the-art knowledge at the nexus of human rights and the environment. Organized by UNITAR with Yale, UNEP, UNDP and WRI, the Conference provided an interactive forum for policy makers, practitioners, scholars, and stakeholders from around the world to generate knowledge, share experiences, and identify good practices concerning the nexus of human rights and the environment.
The speech of Professor Knox can now be accessed through the conference website, together with introductory reflections by Achim Steiner, UNEP Executive Director; welcome remarks by Sally Fegan-Wyles, Executive Director of UNITAR and Mr. Patrick Keuleers, Chief of Profession for Governance and Peacebuilding at UNDP; more than 70 papers delivered; discussed at the Conference; a summary of highlights of the plenary discussions; and many other contributions.
For additional information, please contact UNITAR’s Environmental Governance Programme (envgov@unitar.org) or visit the conference webiste: http://conference.unitar.org/yale2014
