A/HRC/55/44 their sciences, technologies and traditional knowledge. They must be guaranteed free, prior and informed consent in any projects and decision-making that affect them.11 B. Urgent need for a coherent approach 12. Outside of the international human rights law framework, many treaties also have scientific components, some of them setting out guarantees regarding information, participation, education and awareness-raising and the sharing of benefits and responsibilities. Such treaties include the Convention on Biological Diversity, the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change and subsequent agreements on climate change, the Convention on Access to Information, Public Participation in DecisionMaking and Access to Justice in Environmental Matters, the Regional Agreement on Access to Information, Public Participation and Justice in Environmental Matters in Latin America and the Caribbean and a myriad of conventions and protocols relating to toxics. 12 13. Consistency is needed in the application of the instruments using a right-to-science approach. As mentioned in several responses to the questionnaire of the Special Rapporteur, working in parallel ways on cross-cutting issues leads to policy incoherence at both the international and national levels. 13 Only by fostering systemic integration and cross-fertilization among the different domains of international law can effective solutions be found to address the complex current challenges.14 A human rights-based approach helps to ensure that policies, including those designed to respond to such challenges as climate change and migration are not regressive in terms of human rights and can effectively improve the lives of all people.15 14. Specifically on climate change, the General Assembly and the Human Rights Council have stressed that climate change action needs to happen in accordance with States’ human rights obligations and commitments. The principles of participation and information, transparency, accountability, (intergenerational) equity and non-discrimination need to guide global efforts to mitigate and adapt to climate change16 and, more broadly, the triple planetary crisis and development challenges. Sectors of the population that are more affected by climate change, especially Indigenous Peoples, must see their scientific knowledge reflected in the solutions.17 C. Current situation and recent developments 15. Science liberates people, minds and communities and offers solutions to major challenges that the humanity faces. It enables people to understand the world, dogma to be pushed aside for progress, authority to be questioned, people to communicate, communities to prosper, individuals to attain knowledge and cultures to evolve. 16. Too little attention has been given, however, to the human rights dimensions of science. Participation is not ensured, science-related institutions are underfunded, civic space continues to shrink and knowledge emanating from epistemic communities is not valued. The situation undermines people’s opportunities to enjoy their science-related rights. It leads to a huge waste of knowledge, constitutes an attack on the dignity of people, harms the design of decisions and their applications, reduces the quality of debates, undermines social progress, 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 GE.24-01813 United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, arts. 5, 11, 19 and 31. Special Rapporteur on the implications for human rights of the environmentally sound management and disposal of hazardous substances and wastes, “International standards”, available at https://www.ohchr.org/en/special-procedures/sr-toxics-and-human-rights/international-standards. See contribution from Henry McGhie, Curating Tomorrow, in reference to the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland. See contributions from Monika Plozza and One Ocean Hub. A/HRC/54/47, para. 6. Ibid., para. 5. See also www.ohchr.org/en/climate-change/human-rights-council-resolutions-humanrights-and-climate-change. See Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework, sect. C, paras. 7 (a) and (l); sect. G, goal C; sect. H, targets 13, 21 and 22; and sect. K, para 22 (a). 5