GENEVA, July 8, 2026 — At the conclusion of the sixty-second session, the United Nations Human Rights Council appointed Bethanie Carney Almroth as the Special Rapporteur on Toxics and Human Rights. David Azoulay, Director of Environmental Health at the Center for International Environmental Law (CIEL), issued the following statement:
“We are thrilled that Bethanie Carney Almroth has been appointed as the new Special Rapporteur on Toxics and Human Rights. Bethanie’s work on the environmental and health impacts of plastics makes her an ideal candidate at a time when the world is reckoning with the widespread effects of petrochemicals, including plastics, throughout the lifecycle. She is a renowned researcher and policy advisor, known for fiercely defending the right to science.
“The former Special Rapporteur Marcos Orellana leaves behind a rich legacy of work on topics as varied as the right to science, human rights impacts of plastics, and remedy. We are confident that Dr. Almroth’s experience at the cutting edge of the science-policy interface will only build upon this work. We are excited to see what she brings to the position.”
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Media Contact:
Cate Bonacini, +1-510-520-9109, press(at)ciel.org