ABSTRACT
International human rights law has developed quite remarkably since the adoption of the UN Charter and especially the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR) in 1948. This chapter provides an overview of these developments and the emergence of environmental rights. Human rights law is one of the few areas of international law that does not govern relations between states. Thus, human rights law operates vertically between states as duty bearers and individuals as rights holders usually bound by the link of nationality and typically operate territorially. International human rights law and institutions have largely developed along two tracks: treaty-based mechanisms and charter-based mechanisms. Ten treaty-based mechanisms currently exist under the main international human rights treaties. The link between the right to health and a polluted environment needs no special elaboration. The availability of food and water is very much dependent on environmental conditions, and unsanitary conditions and lack of sanitation facilities also lead to disease.
