Country Questionnaire
To assist in consideration of the reference, a questionnaire was distributed to the APF’s
member NHRIs asking them to outline the laws and practices relating to human rights and the
environment in their State. The questionnaire sought information on, amongst other things:
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constitutional provisions
legislation
case law
the interpretation of State obligations
State, NGO and other action to protect the environment
NHRI activities
reports by local, national or international NGOs.
Structure of the Paper
There are four parts to this paper.
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Part 1 addresses the terms of reference, providing the ACJs response to each question as
well as a summary of their reasoning.
Part 2 contains a list of the ACJ recommendations on activities that NHRIs might undertake
in promoting the human rights issues that arise in the context of this reference.
Part 3 provides a comparative summary of the country information provided by member
NHRIs in response to the questionnaire distributed prior to the ACJ meeting.
Part 4 contains a summary of participatory rights that may be invoked to promote human
rights and environmental protection.
A separate annex contains a table of relevant human rights and environmental treaties
highlighting membership within the APF region;
Supporting Documentation
This Final Report should be read in conjunction with the ACJ Reference Paper. The reference
paper provides more detailed information on international, regional and domestic human rights
and environmental law regimes. A copy of this report and the Reference Paper is available at:
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