Call for contributions on nature conservation and cultural rights

About the Open Call

The Special Rapporteur in the field of cultural rights intends to explore synergies and challenges in ensuring both cultural rights and the conservation of nature simultaneously. The report will clarify how cultural rights—protecting identities, values, and ways of life—are important to nature conservation and vice versa. It will demonstrate that cultural rights are essential for a comprehensive understanding and plan of nature conservation and will discuss how they amplify the implementation of existing frameworks. The study will also address situations and challenges that demand particular attention to avoid infringing on cultural rights, and possible limitations to cultural rights in the name of nature conservation under international human rights law. It will focus on populations whose cultural rights are particularly affected by conservation practices and assess the work of main stakeholders. To gather relevant experiences and challenges, the Special Rapporteur has prepared a questionnaire for States, United Nations agencies, national human rights institutions, academics, cultural workers and practitioners, and civil society organizations. Key questions cover beliefs and practices fostering nature conservation, ties to natural elements as part of heritage, beliefs impeding conservation, examples of successful and failed conservation projects, measures to ensure human rights in biodiversity frameworks, challenges related to biodiversity loss, documentation of traditional knowledge, participatory approaches, the role of intergovernmental/non-governmental organizations and donors, and cultural rights in carbon markets. Additional information and recommendations are also sought.

What is Offered

Opportunity to contribute to a report by the United Nations Special Rapporteur in the field of cultural rights, which will be presented to the Human Rights Council.

Requirements

Contributions are sought from States, United Nations agencies, national human rights institutions, academics, cultural workers and practitioners, and civil society organizations. Responses should be in a Word document, in English, French or Spanish, and limited to 2,000 words.

How to Apply

Responses should be limited to 2,000 words, attached as a Word document, and clearly specify the entity making the contribution. Paragraph numbers should be added. Submissions can be sent in English, French, or Spanish to hrc-sr-culturalrights@un.org, with the email title “Nature conservation and cultural rights”. Contributions must be received by 15 November 2025, 18:31 (Geneva time).