A/HRC/55/44 I. Introduction 1. Much hope is being invested today in science-based solutions to prevent loss of life, facilitate our lives and expand our horizons. As the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights has stated, science and technology carry extraordinary potential for human rights. 1 Science has had a transformative effect on efforts to address complex and interconnected environmental, social and economic challenges for people and the planet, including poverty, access to health and education, natural resource depletion, biodiversity loss, land degradation, climate change, natural and human-made disasters and spiralling conflicts and related humanitarian crises.2 2. Science cannot produce long-lasting positive results, however, unless conducted within a human rights framework that ensures that it benefits all of humanity. Science is powerful. Hence, it is necessary to continuously review and improve the understanding of what science is, its biases and blind spots, who sits at the table to decide on its direction, which scientific evidence must inform decision-making, who benefits and who suffers from scientific advancements and how to mitigate risks. Answers to all such questions require a human rights approach to science. 3. The present report is aimed at clarifying what a human rights approach to science means in the twenty-first century. It is based on the principles of the universality and indivisibility of rights, non-discrimination, equality, participation and respect for cultural diversity, including scientific diversity. It includes the encouragement of the democratization of science and its production, use and advancement and support for the improved protection of scientists and those engaged in scientific endeavours and of science as a common good, ensuring participation and access for all and safeguarding science from manipulation, disinformation and misinformation. 4. In the report, the Special Rapporteur places the right to participate at the centre of the right to science and explores its meaning and contours, identifies obstacles and makes specific recommendations. Both dimensions of science – participation in science and access to science, including, for example, the enjoyment of benefits – are crucial and interlinked, in that participation in science is not guaranteed unless access is guaranteed and vice versa. 5. In preparation for the report, the Special Rapporteur held two consultations, one in New York, organized by PEN America, which she warmly thanks, and one in Geneva, organized by the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR).3 She also benefited from her participation in the dialogue on the right to science, held in Geneva in 2022.4 To collect views and experiences, a questionnaire was distributed widely, with 36 responses received.5 II. International law context and recent developments A. International human rights law context 6. The Special Rapporteurs on cultural rights have addressed various dimensions of the right to access to and participation in science, on the basis, in particular, of article 27 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and article 15 of the International Covenant on 1 2 3 4 5 GE.24-01813 See https://www.ohchr.org/en/statements-and-speeches/2023/11/high-commissioner-addresses-2023social-forum. United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), Recommendation on Open Science, preamble. The lists of participants are available at https://www.ohchr.org/en/calls-for-input/2023/call-inputright-access-and-take-part-scientific-progress. See Swiss Commission for UNESCO, “The right to science: understanding trends in and enhancing the effectiveness of human rights mechanisms and partnership approaches” (Bern, Switzerland, 2022). The contributions are available at https://www.ohchr.org/en/calls-for-input/2023/call-input-rightaccess-and-take-part-scientific-progress. 3