Mandate of the Special Rapporteur on the Promotion and Protection of Human Rights in the Context of Climate Change

A/HRC/RES/48/14View PDF

Who created this mandate?

A Resolution of the Human Rights Council, under agenda item 3Promotion and protection of all human rights, civil, political, economic, social and cultural rights, including the right to development, published in 2021.

Who cites this mandate in the budget?

1 entity

Extracted automatically from each entity’s budget submission.

What subjects does this mandate have?

3 topics

Climate Change Human Rights Special Rapporteurs

What does this mandate say?

22 operative paragraphs

Expresses its resolve to contribute towards ongoing efforts at all levels to address the adverse impact of climate change on the enjoyment of human rights, in the light of scientific data and assessments, and in a well-integrated manner that advances progress towards the implementation of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, the Paris Agreement and the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, as well as towards the promotion, protection, realization and enjoyment of human rights by everyone everywhere;

Decides to appoint, for a period of three years, a special rapporteur on the promotion and protection of human rights in the context of climate change, with the following mandate:

To study and identify how the adverse effects of climate change, including sudden and slow onset disasters, affect the full and effective enjoyment of human rights and make recommendations on how to address and prevent these adverse effects, in particular ways to strengthen the integration of human rights concerns into policymaking, legislation and plans addressing climate change;

To identify existing challenges, including financial challenges, in States’ efforts to promote and protect human rights while addressing the adverse effects of climate change, and make recommendations regarding respect for, and promotion of, human rights, including in the context of the design and implementation of mitigation and adaptation policies, practices, investments and other projects;

To synthesize knowledge, including indigenous and local traditional knowledge, and identify good practices, strategies and policies that address how human rights are integrated into climate change policies and how these efforts contribute to the promotion and protection of all human rights and poverty alleviation;

To promote and exchange views on lessons learned and best practices related to the adoption of human rights-based, gender-responsive, age-sensitive, disability-inclusive and risk-informed approaches to climate change adaptation and mitigation policies, with a view to contributing to the achievement of the Paris Agreement and the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, which could help in the realization of the Sustainable Development Goals, in particular Goals 13 and 14, to address the economic, cultural, environmental and social challenges that climate change poses for the full enjoyment of human rights for all and in particular to support the resilience and adaptive capacities of people in vulnerable situations to respond to the adverse impact of climate change;

To raise awareness on the human rights affected by climate change, especially of persons living in developing countries particularly vulnerable to climate change, such as least developed countries, small island developing States and landlocked developing States, and encourage increased global cooperation in this regard;

To seek views and contributions from States and other relevant stakeholders, including international organizations, United Nations institutions, agencies, funds and programmes, regional economic commissions, international and regional financial institutions, regional human rights mechanisms, national human rights institutions, civil society, children and young people, older persons, indigenous peoples, local communities, women’s rights organizations, organizations of persons with disabilities, peasants and other people working in rural areas, academia, scientific institutions and non-governmental organizations, in the discharge of the mandate and develop a regular dialogue and consultation on measures at the domestic and international levels on effective and sustainable climate action that respects, promotes and protects human rights;

To facilitate and contribute to the exchange of technical assistance, capacity-building and international cooperation in support of national efforts, actions and measures to address the adverse impact of climate change on the enjoyment of human rights, in collaboration with Governments, international organizations, civil society, the technical and academic communities, the private sector and all relevant stakeholders, including by using new and emerging digital technologies;

To work in close coordination, while avoiding duplication of efforts, with the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, other special procedures and other human rights mechanisms of the Human Rights Council, the treaty bodies and other relevant United Nations agencies, funds and programmes, including those related to climate change and the environment;

To conduct country visits and to respond promptly to invitations from States;

To participate in, and contribute to, a human rights perspective to relevant international conferences and events with the aim of promoting a systematic and coherent approach to issues pertaining to the mandate;

To integrate a gender-responsive, age-sensitive, disability inclusive and social-inclusion perspective throughout the work of the mandate;

To work closely with States and relevant stakeholders, including business enterprises, both transnational and others, to adopt a human rights perspective in accordance with the Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights to mitigate potential adverse effects of their activities, including investment projects, on human rights in the context of climate change;

To closely coordinate with the Special Rapporteur on the issue of human rights obligations relating to the enjoyment of a safe, clean, healthy and sustainable environment, the Special Rapporteur on the implications for human rights of the environmentally sound management and disposal of hazardous substances and wastes and the Special Rapporteur on the human rights to safe drinking water and sanitation and to consider every possibility to coordinate his or her work with these mandate holders in the most effective way, including through joint undertakings;

To report annually to the Human Rights Council, starting from its fiftieth session, and to the General Assembly at its seventy-seventh session;

Calls upon all States and all stakeholders to cooperate fully with the Special Rapporteur on the promotion and protection of human rights in the context of climate change in the performance of the mandate, including by providing all necessary information requested in the Special Rapporteur’s communications, to react promptly to the Special Rapporteur’s urgent appeals, to give serious consideration to responding favourably to the Special Rapporteur’s requests for country visits and to consider implementing the recommendations in reports submitted under the mandate;

Encourages all relevant stakeholders, including United Nations agencies, funds and programmes, human rights mechanisms, national human rights institutions, national independent monitoring frameworks, civil society, the private sector, donors and development agencies to cooperate fully with the Special Rapporteur to enable the mandate holder to fulfil the mandate;

Requests the Secretary-General and the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights to provide the Special Rapporteur with all the human, technical and financial resources necessary for the effective fulfilment of the mandate;

Requests the Advisory Committee of the Human Rights Council to conduct a study and to prepare a report, in close cooperation with the Special Rapporteur, on the impact of new technologies for climate protection on the enjoyment of human rights, and to submit the report to the Council at its fifty-fourth session;

Emphasizes that, while taking steps to respond to climate change, States must ensure that they meet their human rights obligations;

Decides to remain seized of the matter.

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