The Human Rights Council, in its resolution 19/10, requested the Independent Expert on human rights and the environment, Mr. John Knox, to study the human rights obligations, including non-discrimination obligations, relating to the enjoyment of a safe, clean, healthy and sustainable environment.

Pursuant to this request, the Independent Expert undertook an extensive research project to map the statements made by important sources on the human rights obligations relating to the environment. The result was 14 individual reports, each of which describes statements made by a particular source or set of sources.  The reports fall into four categories: (a) global human rights treaties and their application by treaty bodies; (b) United Nations human rights bodies and mechanisms, including the Human Rights Council and its special procedure mandate holders; (c) regional human rights systems; and (d) international environmental instruments. The Independent Expert summarized the findings in his mapping report to the Human Rights Council at its 25th session in March 2014 (A/HRC/25/53).