Civil society calls on the Human Rights Council to establish a Special Rapporteur on Climate Change

23 June 2021 - GI-ESCR has joined more than 10 other civil society organisations in an oral Statement calling for the Human Rights Council to appoint a Special Rapporteur on Human Rights and Climate Change during its 47th session.

The Statement was delivered by the Center for International Environmental Law during the Interactive Dialogue on the Annual Report the High Commissioner. With calls for the establishment of a dedicated Special Rapporteur having been made for over a decade, the Statement leaves little doubt that “it is now time to act”.

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Background

Civil society groups and Indigenous Peoples' organizations have called for the creation of a Special Rapporteur on Human Rights and Climate Change for more than a decade. In 2019, the Marshall Islands, on behalf of the Climate Vulnerable Forum, called for the creation of a dedicated HRC Special Rapporteur on human rights and climate change at the 25th Conference of the Parties to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change. In the past two years, this proposal has gained momentum amongst States. During the 46th session of the HRC in March 2021, in an unprecedented move, a cross-regional group of 56 States joined Bangladesh in a statement that called upon Council members to consider creating this new mandate.

UPDATE

*Ian Fry is the first Special Rapporteur on the promotion and protection of human rights in the context of climate change. He was appointed by the Human Rights Council at its 49th session in March 2022 and started his mandate on 1 May 2022.