A/79/177 56. Fossil fuel combustion, a major contributor to climate change, 125 is harmful to health on account of air pollution being a risk factor for numerous diseases, including stroke, heart disease, lung cancer, and both chronic and acute respiratory diseases. 126 Similarly, plastic waste is increasingly concerning on account of the uncertain effects of plastic by-products, particularly nano- and microplastic particles, on human health. 127 57. Greenwashing practices mislead the public into believing that companies are doing more to protect the environment than they are, promoting false remedies to the environmental crisis while promoting unsustainable consumption patterns and stalling progress towards genuine solutions, 128 thereby causing harm. 58. Given the nature of environmental harm and greenwashing, evidence -based regulation has emerged as a tool to prevent harm caused by the production and commercialization of these products, as well as by the appropriation of harm reduction narratives. V. Governance 59. Harm reduction is a multisectoral and multilevel issue, requiring contributions from many sectors. 129 Governance refers to the processes, structures and institutions that are in place to oversee and manage systems. It is concerned with the relationships between the State, private sector entities, civil society organizations, communities and individuals, 130 and the making, monitoring and enforcing of formal and informal rules in those systems. 131 60. Using a human rights lens and understanding the intersections of harm, harm reduction should be guided by the principles of good governance: participation, transparency and accountability. 132 A. Meaningful participation 61. The meaningful involvement of the persons most affected by specific harms and harm reduction efforts is essential for the development and implementation of harm reduction programmes. 133 Sex workers, persons living with HIV, persons who use __________________ 125 126 127 128 129 130 131 132 133 14/28 WHO, “Climate change”, 12 October 2023. WHO, “Ambient (outdoor) air pollution”, 19 December 2022. WHO, Dietary and Inhalation Exposure to Nano- and Microplastic Particles and Potential Implications for Human Health (Geneva, 2022). See www.un.org/en/climatechange/science/climate-issues/greenwashing. Nicola Singleton and Jennifer Rubin, “What is good governance in the context of drug policy?”, International Journal of Drug Policy, vol. 25, No. 5 (September 2014). Lawrence O. Gostin and others, “The legal determinants of health: harnessing the power of law for global health and sustainable development”, The Lancet, vol. 393, No. 10183 (May 2019). Seye Abimbola and others, “Institutional analysis of health system governance”, Health and Policy Planning, vol. 32, No. 9 (November 2017). See Human Rights Council resolution 7/11; and E/CN.4/2006/48, para. 25. See https://harmreduction.org/about-us/principles-of-harm-reduction; UNAIDS, Ending Overly Broad Criminalization of HIV Non-Disclosure, Exposure and Transmission: Critical Scientific, Medical and Legal Considerations (Geneva, 2013); and Shira M. Goldenberg and others, eds., Sex Work, Health and Human Rights: Global Inequalities, Challenges, and Opportunities (Cham, Switzerland, Springer, 2021). 24-13226