HRC: Human rights and Environment

After its decision in March 2012, the Human Rights Council has appointed an Independent Expert on the issue of human rights obligations relating to the enjoyment of a safe, clean, healthy and sustainable environment (Resolution 19/10). John Knox began his mandate in August 2012 and will submit his first report to the 22^nd session of the Human Rights Council in March 2013. 

Building on several other resolutions related to human rights and the environment and human rights and climate change, resolution 19/10 requests the Independent Expert to, among other things:
· Study the human rights obligations relating to the enjoyment of a safe, clean, healthy and sustainable environment, in consultation with relevant stakeholders;
· Identify and promote best practices on the use of human rights obligations and commitments to inform, support and strengthen environmental policy making and prepare a compendium of best practices; and
· Make recommendations that could help the realization of the Millennium Development Goals, in particular Goal 7, and contribute a human rights perspective to the Rio +20 follow-up process.

Mercury Treaty: WHO Consultation on Vaccines

Prior to the 4th meeting of the Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee (INC) to prepare a global legally binding instrument, states have requested additional information on alternative preservatives e.g. 2-phenoxyethanol for vaccines (instead of small quantities of mercury in thiomersal containing vaccines), and on the economic, programmatic and manufacturing implications of moving (globally) to single dose, preservative free vaccines. WHO held an information consultation from 3-4 April in Geneva for the purposes of scinentific exchange.
WHO Vaccines Website

UN Personnel Update

The UN World Food Program has named Ertharin Cousin (USA) to assume the post of Executive Director when Josette Sheeran’s five-year term ends in April.

Margaret Chan (China), Director General of the WHO has been nominated for a second five-year term by the agency’s Executive Board. 

The UN Population Fund announced that Anne-Birgitte Albrectsen (Denmark), will be working at the Assistant Secretary-General level as the new Deputy Executive Director.

It is reported that by mid-2012, at least eight under secretaries-general will be replaced, including Kiyotaka Akasaka (Japan), Head of Communications and Public Information; B. Lynn Pascoe (USA) running the Department of Political Affairs; Sha Zukang (China), Chief of the Department of Economic and Social Affairs; and Sergio Duarte (Brazil), High Representative for Disarmament Affairs.

WHO: "Health in the Green Economy"

The World Health Organization (WHO) has launched a report on the health benefits of low-carbon transport measures, such as rapid transit, walking or cycling. Recommended strategies include:
- integrating urban residential and commercial areas through more compact land use;
- including health and equity costs in cost-benefit analyses of transport projects; and
- improving active transport, rapid transit and public transport as cost effective measures to mitigate GHG emissions.

The report further stresses that healthier transport can help close the health equity gap in low- and middle-income countries by:
- reducing air pollution;
- providing benefits to women, older adults, children, people with disabilities and lower income groups;
- reducing the need for biofuels and related threats to food security; and
- reducing the use of older, more polluting vehicles.

Report: Health Co-benefits of Climate Change Mitigation - Transport Sector

Agrobiodiversity and Law: Regulating Genetic Resources, Food Security and Cultural Diversity

This new book analyzes the impact of the legal system on agrobiodiversity and the emergence of the concept and its relationship with food security, nutrition, health, environmental sustainability and climate change. It assesses the impacts of key legal instruments, discussing the interface between the free software movement, the 'commons' movement and seeds, and the role of protected areas.

European Commission: Biodiversity and Health

The European Commission has produced a policy brief that summarizes scientific information on the benefits biodiversity provides for human health and offers policy recommendations. In particular, the brief discusses medicines from natural products, food security, infectious diseases, green spaces and urban biodiversity, and uncertainties and complexity.

PAHO and Climate Change

The 51st Directing Council of the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) adopted a new strategy and action plan on climate change drafted by the PAHO Secretariat. These documents call call for, inter alia, improving regional, national and local capacity to respond to public health needs during climate-related emergencies, and creating new PAHO/WHO Collaborating Centers to study the health effects of climate change and to support national and regional capacity building in this area.
Regional Strategy and Action Plan

WHO: Health and Green Economy Series

The World Health Organization has launched a report on health co-benefits of climate change mitigation in the housing sector, the first of a new series of reports on health in the green economy, which undertakes a systematic analysis of climate change mitigation and green growth strategies in five economic sectors: housing, transport, health care facilities, household energy in developing countries and agriculture.

WHO Health in the Green Economy Website

Council of Europe: Resolution on dangers of electromagnetic fields

The Standing Committee, acting on behalf of the Assembly of the Council of Europe adopted a resolution on 27 May titled: The potential dangers of electromagnetic fields and their effect on the environment.

African Experts: Climate Change and Health

On the eve of the 5th Conference of African Ministers of Health (CAMH-5), a group of experts from African Union (AU) members States met to identify the major effects of climate change on health in Africa and to discuss actions to mitigate its impact.

 The Impact of Climate Change on Health and Development in Africa - Overview of the Theme