AAAS Scientific Responsibility, Human Rights and Law Program

Environment and Human Rights Project

Civil Society Workshop
Making the Links between
Human Rights, Environment and Sustainable Development
Mary Robinson, Keynote Speaker

New: Read the text of Mary Robinson's speech

You are invited to participate in a civil society workshop highlighting the links between human rights, environmental protection and sustainable development.

Where: UN World Summit on Sustainable Development (WSSD) Civil Society Forum, Johannesburg Expo Centre/NASREC Johannesburg, South Africa

When: Sunday, 1 September 2002 10:00 - 18:00

Why: The 2002 World Summit on Sustainable Development assesses progress since the 1992 Earth Summit in Rio and will seek agreement on policies to ensure a world that can sustain, nourish and shelter human and non-human life and protect the planet we all share. Unfortunately, human rights concerns are not part of the WSSD negotiations. To address this shortcoming, a broad coalition of international human rights and environment groups are organizing a workshop for Summit participants on the importance of human rights in defending the environment and ensuring development that is truly sustainable. The plenary session will be addressed by Mary Robinson, UN High Commissioner for Human Rights. Thematic workshop breakout sessions will focus on:

• Community-based property rights
• Corporate accountability
• Environmental justice
• Food and agriculture
• Globalization, trade and investment
• Indigenous peoples and minorities
• Procedural human rights and governance
• Toxic wastes and chemicals
• Water
• Women

For more information, visit our website at http://www.sdissues.net. Click on Issues and follow the link to environment/human rights.

Sponsoring organizations include: American Association for the Advancement of Science; Amnesty International; ANPED (Northern Alliance for Sustainability); Center for Economic and Social Rights; Center for International Environmental Law (CIEL); Centro de Derechos Humanos y Medio Ambiente (CEDHA); EarthJustice; Environmental Law Institute; FIAN (FoodFirst Information and Action Network); François Xavier Bagnoud Center for Health and Human Rights; Indigenous Information Network; International Campaign for Tibet; International Federation of University Women; Mazingira Institute; Minority Rights Group International; Natural Heritage Institute; NGO Committee on the Status of Women; People's Movement for Human Rights Education (PDHRE); Rights and Democracy; Sierra Club; World Resources Institute.