Respecting, promoting, and protecting human rights in climate action through the Global Stocktake

More than 30 partner civil society organizations signed the submission.

The Global Initiative for Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (GI-ESCR) as part of the Human Rights and Climate Change Working Group contributed to a joint submission for the first Global Stocktake (GST). The signatories called for the process to assess how human rights are being respected, protected and realised in the implementation of the Paris agreement. The submission requests that the outcomes of the GST provide clear guidance to get on track to limit global warming below 1.5° using a gender-responsive and human rights-based approach focusing on the following key commitments:

·         Full and equitable phase-out of fossil fuels

·         Implementation of a human rights-based and intersectional approach

·         Enhanced public and protection of environmental defenders

To advance a swift human right-aligned transition to sustainability, the submission highlights that assessments in the progress for the implementation of the Paris Agreement should consider if these actions have been effective in driving a just transition for workers and communities. It underscores the need for participatory approaches to be enhanced and include all relevant groups, such as indigenous groups, women, youth and local communities to ensure efficient transition processes.

This collective call seeks to emphasise that a quick, human-rights consistent and equitable phase-out of fossil fuel production and usage with a just transition to renewable energy sources is imperative to meeting the long-term goals of the Paris Agreement, as well as complying with States’ human rights obligations.

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The Global Stocktake is the process whereby States parties to the Paris Agreement report on the measures undertaken to meet their obligations under the Paris Agreement with the aim to assess the world’s collective progress towards achieving the purpose of the agreement and its long-term goals (Article 14). For more information on the Global Stocktake can be found in the following link.