The Ombudsman, Maria Lúcia Amaral, received the UN Special Rapporteur on Human Rights and Environment, David R. Boyd, on 21 September, in the scope of his official visit to Portugal.

The meeting was part of the round of contacts with a view to evaluating the Portuguese State’s compliance with its obligations to give effect to the right to the environment, as an internationally recognized human right, and focused on issues that have prompted the Ombudsman’s intervention, namely forest fires, water distribution and territorial planning, especially along the coastline.

The Special Rapporteur will present a full report on his visit to Portugal to the UN Human Rights Council in March 2023.