INTER-AMERICAN COURT OF HUMAN RIGHTS ADVISORY OPINION OC-23/17 OF NOVEMBER 15, 2017 REQUESTED BY THE REPUBLIC OF COLOMBIA THE ENVIRONMENT AND HUMAN RIGHTS (STATE OBLIGATIONS IN RELATION TO THE ENVIRONMENT IN THE CONTEXT OF THE PROTECTION AND GUARANTEE OF THE RIGHTS TO LIFE AND TO PERSONAL INTEGRITY: INTERPRETATION AND SCOPE OF ARTICLES 4(1) AND 5(1) IN RELATION TO ARTICLES 1(1) AND 2 OF THE AMERICAN CONVENTION ON HUMAN RIGHTS) the Inter-American Court of Human Rights (hereinafter “the Inter-American Court” or “the Court”), composed of the following judges: Roberto F. Caldas, President Eduardo Ferrer Mac-Gregor Poisot, Vice President Eduardo Vio Grossi, Judge Humberto Antonio Sierra Porto Judge Elizabeth Odio Benito, Judge Eugenio Raúl Zaffaroni, Judge, and L. Patricio Pazmiño Freire, Judge also present, Pablo Saavedra Alessandri, Secretary, and Emilia Segares Rodríguez, Deputy Secretary, pursuant to Article 64(1) of the American Convention on Human Rights (hereinafter “the American Convention” or “the Convention”) and Articles 70 to 75 of the Rules of Procedure of the Court (hereinafter “the Rules of Procedure”), issues the following advisory opinion, structured as follows: - 2 - TABLE OF CONTENTS I. PRESENTATION OF THE REQUEST ........................................................................................ 4 II. PROCEEDING BEFORE THE COURT ...................................................................................... 6 III. JURISDICTION AND ADMISSIBILITY .............................................................................. 10 A. The Court’s advisory jurisdiction in relation to this request .........................................................11 B. Requirements for the admissibility of the request ......................................................................12 IV. GENERAL CONSIDERATIONS ............................................................................................ 15 A. The purpose and scope of this Advisory Opinion and the terms of the questions raised by the requesting State .........................................................................................................................15 B. The structure of this Advisory Opinion ......................................................................................17 V. INTERPRETATION CRITERIA ............................................................................................. 18 VI. ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION AND THE HUMAN RIGHTS RECOGNIZED IN THE AMERICAN CONVENTION ........................................................................................................ 20 A. The interrelationship between human rights and the environment ...............................................20 B. Human rights affected by environmental degradation, including the right to a healthy environment ..........................................................................................................................................24 VII. THE WORD “JURISDICTION” IN ARTICLE 1(1) OF THE AMERICAN CONVENTION IN ORDER TO DETERMINE STATE OBLIGATIONS IN RELATION TO ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION .......................................................................................................................... 32 A. Scope of the word “jurisdiction” in Article 1(1) of the American Convention in order to determine State obligations .........................................................................................................................32 B. State obligations under special environmental protection regimes.... ............................................35 C. Obligations regarding transboundary damage ...........................................................................40 D. Conclusion ............................................................................................................................43 VIII. DUTIES DERIVED FROM THE OBLIGATIONS TO RESPECT AND TO ENSURE THE RIGHTS TO LIFE AND TO PERSONAL INTEGRITY, IN THE CONTEXT OF ENVIRONMENTAL PROTECTION44 A. The rights to life and to personal integrity in relation to environmental protection .......... 44 A.1 Meaning and scope of the rights to life and to personal integrity in the face of potential environmental damage ..........................................................................................................44 A.2. Obligations to respect and to ensure the rights to life and to personal integrity in the face of potential environmental damage ............................................................................................47 B. State obligations in the face of potential environmental damage in order to respect and to ensure the rights to life and to personal integrity ............................................................... 49 B.1 Obligation of prevention ........................................................................................ 51 B.1.a Sphere of application of the obligation of prevention ....................................................53 B.1.b Type of damage to be prevented ...............................................................................53 B.1.c Measures States must take to comply with the obligation of prevention ..........................55 i) Duty to regulate .................................................................................................56 ii) Duty to supervise and monitor .............................................................................59 iii) Duty to require and approve environmental impact assessments..............................60 iv) Duty to prepare a contingency plan ......................................................................66 - 3 - v) Duty to mitigate if environmental damage occurs ...................................................67 B.1.d Conclusion regarding the obligation of prevention .....................................................68 B.2 The precautionary principle ....................................................................................... 68 B.3 Obligation of cooperation .......................................................................................... 71 B.3.a Duty to notify ........................................................................................................72 i) Moment of notification .......................................................................................74 ii) Content of the notification .................................................................................75 iii) Conclusion with regard to the duty of notification..................................................76 B.3.b Duty to consult and negotiate with potentially affected States ......................................76 i) Moment and form of the consultation ..................................................................77 ii) Duty to consult and negotiate in good faith ..........................................................78 iii) Conclusion regarding the duty to consult and negotiate .........................................79 B.3.c Exchange of information ...........................................................................................79 B.3.d Conclusion with regard to the obligation of cooperation ................................................80 B.4 Procedural obligations to ensure the rights to life and to personal integrity in the context of environmental protection ................................................................................ 81 B.4.a Access to information ............................................................................................81 i) Meaning and scope of this obligation in relation to the environment .........................84 ii) Restrictions to access to information .....................................................................85 iii) Conclusion regarding access to information ...........................................................86 B.4.b Public participation ..............................................................................................86 B.4.c Access to justice ..................................................................................................88 i) Access to justice in cases of transboundary harm ...................................................89 B.4.d Conclusion regarding procedural obligations ..........................................................90 B.5 Conclusions with regard to State obligations ............................................................ 90 IX. OPINION ........................................................................................................................... 91 - 4 - I PRESENTATION OF THE REQUEST 1. On March 14, 2016, the Republic of Colombia (hereinafter “Colombia” or “the requesting State”) presented a request for an advisory opinion based on Article 64(1)1 of the American Convention and Article 70(1) and 70(2)2 of the Rules of Procedure concerning State obligations in relation to the environment in the context of the protection and guarantee of the rights to life and to personal integrity (hereinafter “the request”). The Court was asked to determine “how the Pact of San José should be interpreted when there is a danger that the construction and operation of major new infrastructure projects may have severe effects on the marine environment in the Wider Caribbean Region and, consequently, on the human habitat that is essential for the full enjoyment and exercise of the rights of the inhabitants of the coasts and/or islands of a State