Toxics and Human Rights: UN Special Rapporteur Presents a Thirty-Year Review of the Mandate to the Third Committee

Summary

On 29 October 2026, the United Nations Special Rapporteur on the implications for human rights of the environmentally sound management and disposal of hazardous substances and wastes, Bethanie Carney Almroth, presented to the General Assembly's Third Committee (Social, Humanitarian and Cultural) a report reflecting on thirty years of the mandate. The report was prepared by her predecessor, Marcos Orellana.

The presentation took place in a combined interactive dialogue on environment related mandates, alongside the Special Rapporteur on the human right to a clean, healthy and sustainable environment and the Special Rapporteur on the promotion and protection of human rights in the context of climate change. Ms. Carney Almroth addressed the Committee virtually.

Background

The mandate on toxics and human rights is one of the Special Procedures of the Human Rights Council. Special Rapporteurs are independent experts who serve in their individual capacity; they are not United Nations staff and are not paid for their work, according to the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR).

According to OHCHR, the report assesses progress, persistent challenges and priorities for the future, and documents how toxic exposures interfere with a broad range of human rights, including the rights to life, health, food, water, safe and healthy working conditions, information, participation and effective remedy.

Key Findings of the Report

A Growing Toxic Burden

In her statement, the Special Rapporteur said that "thirty years after the creation of this mandate, toxic pollution remains a profound human rights crisis." She told the Committee that hazardous production, emissions and exposures continue to rise despite decades of research and regulation, and that the report documents harms across sectors including petrochemicals, plastics, critical minerals, mining, agriculture, shipping and military activities.

Unequal Distribution of Harm

According to OHCHR, the expert stated that the impacts "are borne disproportionately by those who have contributed least to the problem," naming children, workers, Indigenous Peoples, women and girls, people living in poverty and communities in pollution hotspots. UN Meetings Coverage summarised the dialogue as highlighting a "global scale environmental injustice."

Chemicals and PFAS

The Special Rapporteur said that more than 350,000 chemicals are registered for global production, often without adequate assessment of their impacts. She said the report highlights per and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) and calls for class based regulation to prevent the replacement of one hazardous chemical with a similar one.

Plastics

She told the Committee that annual plastics production exceeds 500 million tonnes and that plastics contain more than 16,000 chemicals. She pointed to a session of the Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee on plastic pollution in March 2027 as an opportunity to develop an effective treaty.

The Right to Science

The expert emphasised the right to science and the importance of independent scientific evidence in decisions on hazardous substances, alongside the precautionary principle.

Statements During the Interactive Dialogue

Japan welcomed the new Special Rapporteur, took note of the report prepared by her predecessor, and stated that it recognises the importance of addressing the human rights implications of hazardous substances and wastes, including through access to accurate scientific information, transparency and international cooperation.

Morocco stated that the predecessor's report underscores that preventing toxic pollution is a matter of health and dignity, and noted that its national legislation establishes rules for hazardous waste management.

The Russian Federation stated that work to improve international environmental legal mechanisms should be carried out in the specialised bodies of the United Nations system, and described linking the environmental agenda with the human rights agenda as artificial.

The European Union reaffirmed its support for the right to a clean, healthy and sustainable environment.

Recommendations

According to OHCHR, the Special Rapporteur called for a shift from managing toxic pollution to preventing it. She stated that "States should strengthen legal protections, progressively eliminate the most hazardous substances, ensure the application of the precautionary principle, improve corporate accountability and guarantee effective remedies for victims of toxic exposure," and that businesses have a responsibility to respect human rights throughout their operations and supply chains.

In the dialogue, she called for producers to bear the burden of proving that their products are safe, and stated that "decarbonization and detoxification must go hand in hand."

Relevant International Standards

In Resolution 48/13 (2021), the Human Rights Council recognised the right to a clean, healthy and sustainable environment as a human right, and the General Assembly did so in Resolution 76/300 (2022). Article 12 of the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights protects the right to the highest attainable standard of physical and mental health, including the improvement of environmental and industrial hygiene. The UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights set out the responsibility of businesses to respect human rights.

Taskforce Note

The Global HR Taskforce will continue to monitor State responses to the Special Rapporteur's findings and the negotiations on an international instrument on plastic pollution. Sources: OHCHR press release, "UN expert warns toxic pollution remains one of greatest human rights challenges of our time," 29 October 2026; UN Meetings Coverage, Third Committee, 29 October 2026; UN Web TV record of the Third Committee, 33rd meeting, 81st session, 29 October 2026.