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This report by the Center for International Environmental Law examines the intersection of lead pollution and human rights, detailing the severe health impacts on children and adults and how these impacts violate international legal standards regarding the right to life, health, housing, and information.

This report by the Center for International Environmental Law examines the severe health impacts of lead contamination and its implications for fundamental human rights, including the rights to life, health, adequate housing, and access to information. It highlights the extreme vulnerability of children and workers, particularly in developing countries, and identifies key sources of exposure such as leaded fuel, paint, and battery manufacturing.

This report by the Center for International Environmental Law examines the intersection of mercury pollution and human rights, detailing the neurotoxic effects of various forms of mercury and how these impacts violate the rights to life, health, food, and information, particularly for children and workers in artisanal mining.

This report by the Center for International Environmental Law examines the adverse health effects of mercury pollution and its implications for fundamental human rights, including the rights to life, health, food, and information. It highlights the vulnerability of children and fetuses, the impact of artisanal and small-scale gold mining (ASGM), and specific historical disasters such as the Minamata event.

This report by the Center for International Environmental Law examines the health and human rights implications of phthalates, a group of industrial chemicals used as plasticizers. It details how these substances act as endocrine disruptors, affecting reproductive health, development, and metabolic systems, and argues that their ubiquity violates several international human rights, including the rights to health, adequate housing, and information.

This report by the Center for International Environmental Law examines the health impacts of phthalates—industrial chemicals used as plasticizers—and argues that their ubiquity and toxicity violate several fundamental human rights, including the rights to health, life, adequate housing, and information.

This briefing note by the Center for International Environmental Law (CIEL) and the Global Initiative for Economic, Social & Cultural Rights (GIESCR) reviews the 2023 outputs of the Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW) regarding climate change. It details the Committee's focus on gender-responsive adaptation, the disproportionate impact of climate change on marginalized women, and recommendations concerning fossil fuel extraction and climate finance.

The Center for International Environmental Law and other organizations argue against launching multilateral investment negotiations at the WTO. They contend that such an agreement would restrict the policy space of developing countries, be driven by the interests of industrialized nations, and utilize an inappropriate dispute settlement mechanism that favors investors over sustainable development and public health.

This policy brief examines the conflict between international intellectual property (IP) rights and the protection of traditional knowledge and biological resources. It argues that the TRIPS Agreement fails to recognize traditional knowledge, contrasting it with the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD), and advocates for the amendment of IP agreements to require disclosure of origin and benefit-sharing.

This legal opinion by the Center for International Environmental Law (CIEL) argues that the export of pesticides prohibited or not approved in Europe to countries in Africa and Central America is illegal under international law, regional agreements, and human rights obligations.

This 1996 report summarizes a regional workshop in Hong Kong focused on making environmental law more effective in East and Southeast Asia. The participants concluded that environmental protection is often undermined by a lack of integration with economic planning, corruption, and poor land-use planning. Key recommendations include simplifying laws to reduce corruption, improving inter-agency coordination, increasing public participation and transparency in monitoring and EIAs, and adopting alternative dispute resolution methods that align with local cultural contexts.

This legal opinion by the Center for International Environmental Law (CIEL) argues that the European Union's Ship Recycling Regulation (SRR) is illegal under international and EU law. CIEL contends that the SRR creates an unlawful exemption for EU-flagged ships from the Basel Convention's prohibitions on exporting hazardous waste to developing countries, particularly following the entry into force of the Basel Ban Amendment on December 5, 2019.

This briefing by the Center for International Environmental Law analyzes the trade provisions of the Montreal Protocol on Substances That Deplete the Ozone Layer. It details the different obligations for ordinary Parties, developing country Parties (Article 5), and non-Parties, specifically focusing on restrictions on the import and export of controlled substances and products containing them. The document also examines the financial mechanisms for developing countries, such as the Multilateral Fund, and discusses potential legal conflicts between the Protocol's trade restrictions and the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT).

This research paper examines the push by developing countries to incorporate a mandatory disclosure of origin for biological resources and traditional knowledge into the TRIPS Agreement. This effort aims to prevent the misappropriation of genetic resources and ensure compatibility with the Convention on Biological Diversity (CDB). While there is growing consensus among many developing nations and some support from the European Union and Switzerland, opposition remains from the United States and Japan.

This briefing by the Center for International Environmental Law (CIEL) and the Environmental Investigation Agency (EIA) provides a critical analysis of the UNEP 'Options for Elements' Paper prepared for the second session of the Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee (INC-2). The document evaluates the proposed core obligations and control measures for a new legally binding instrument on plastic pollution, highlighting gaps where the Options Paper fails to reflect the ambition of Member State submissions, particularly regarding upstream production limits, chemical safety, and the protection of human health.

A joint submission by 24 civil society organizations, including the Center for International Environmental Law, criticizing the International Finance Corporation's (IFC) proposed Approach to Responsible Exit. The submission argues that the IFC's current framework fails to ensure remedy for harms caused by its investments and lacks transparency, urging the institution to make remedy a prerequisite for exit and to implement rigorous pre-divestment due diligence and community consultation.

This fact sheet by the Center for International Environmental Law argues that the Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP) negotiations between the US and EU threaten to undermine public health and environmental protections by harmonizing chemical regulations downward and restricting the regulatory authority of US states and the EU.

This briefing by the Center for International Environmental Law examines the adoption of webcasting in judicial proceedings, detailing the motivations for its use, the benefits it provides, and the associated technical and financial concerns. It specifically highlights the lag in webcasting adoption within international economic dispute settlement bodies compared to other domestic and international courts.

This statement from the Center for International Environmental Law argues that the World Health Organization (WHO) must actively analyze and intervene in the intellectual property (IP) provisions of bilateral and regional free trade agreements (FTAs). The document asserts that these agreements often impose standards that exceed the TRIPS Agreement, potentially undermining the Doha Declaration on TRIPS and Public Health and restricting access to affordable medicines in developing countries.

This guide by the Climate Bonds Initiative outlines a five-step process for issuing green bonds, emphasizing the necessity of allocating proceeds to green projects or assets regardless of the issuer's own 'green' status. It details various bond types, eligibility criteria for projects, and the importance of independent verification and transparent reporting.