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Human rights

Elisabeth Haub School of Law at Pace University Honors Environmental Leaders

Strategic Insights

— 2 min read

The Elisabeth Haub School of Law at Pace University proudly conferred the 2025 Elisabeth Haub Award for Environmental Law and Diplomacy on Professor John H. Knox and Dr. David R. Boyd, recognizing their groundbreaking leadership as successive United Nations Special Rapporteurs on the human right to a healthy environment. The award was presented on October 23, 2025, before an audience of environmental and human rights advocates and supporters joining in person and virtually from around the world. The laureates' work represents a significant milestone in the development of international environmental law, symbolizing what can be achieved through sustained advocacy, diplomacy, and global cooperation.

Key Takeaways:

  • Professor John H. Knox and Dr. David R. Boyd were honored with the 2025 Elisabeth Haub Award for Environmental Law and Diplomacy for their leadership as United Nations Special Rapporteurs on the human right to a healthy environment.
  • Knox served as the UN's first Independent Expert and later the first Special Rapporteur from 2012-2018, producing the Framework Principles on Human Rights and the Environment.
  • Dr. Boyd served as Special Rapporteur from 2018-2024 and built a global coalition of governments, UN agencies, and over 1,300 civil society organizations.
  • The laureates' work helped catalyze the UN Human Rights Council (2021) and UN General Assembly (2022) resolutions recognizing the human right to a clean, healthy, and sustainable environment.
  • The International Court of Justice's advisory opinion in 2023 affirmed the right as part of international law, reinforcing momentum around the globe.
  • The laureates emphasized the importance of transforming legal recognition into meaningful action, ensuring that the right protects those most vulnerable to environmental harm.
  • Dr. Boyd noted that recognition of the right "moves environmental protection from something governments might consider to something they are obligated to deliver."
  • Collaboration among governments, civil society, and international institutions is essential for realizing the promise of this right, panelists emphasized.
  • The growing global consensus reflects progress in law, justice, and equity, underscoring the critical importance of this right in achieving a healthier planet.

Statistics:

  • 2021: UN Human Rights Council resolution on the human right to a clean, healthy, and sustainable environment.
  • 2022: UN General Assembly resolution affirming the human right to a healthy environment.
  • 2023: International Court of Justice's advisory opinion on the human right to a healthy environment.
  • 1,300+ civil society organizations participated in the coalition formed by Dr. Boyd during his tenure as Special Rapporteur.

Sources:

  • "New York City: Pace University has issued the following news release" (no date provided)
  • Pace University
  • United Nations
  • International Court of Justice
  • Costa Rica Permanent Mission to the United Nations
  • University of British Columbia
  • Wake Forest University

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