RES/29/15 Human rights and climate change

Human Rights Council Twenty-ninth session

Agenda item 3

Resolution adopted by the Human Rights Council on 2 July 2015

29/15. Human rights and climate change

The Human Rights Council,

Guided by the Charter of the United Nations, and reaffirming the Universal

Declaration of Human Rights, the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural

Rights, the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights and the Vienna Declaration

and Programme of Action,

Recalling all its previous resolutions on human rights and climate change,

Reaffirming the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change and the

objectives and principles thereof, and emphasizing that parties should, in all climate

change-related actions, fully respect human rights as enunciated in the outcome of the

sixteenth session of the Conference of Parties to the Convention,FCCC/CP/2010/7/Add.1, dec.1/CP.16.

Reaffirming also the commitment to enable the full, effective and sustained

implementation of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change through

long-term cooperative action, in order to achieve the ultimate objective of the Convention,

Acknowledging that, as stated in the United Nations Framework Convention on

Climate Change, the global nature of climate change calls for the widest possible

cooperation by all countries and their participation in an effective and appropriate

international response, in accordance with their common but differentiated responsibilities

and respective capabilities and their social and economic conditions,

Acknowledging also that, as stated in the United Nations Framework Convention on

Climate Change, responses to climate change should be coordinated with social and

economic development in an integrated manner with a view to avoiding adverse impact on

the latter, taking into full account the legitimate priority needs of developing countries for

the achievement of sustained economic growth and the eradication of poverty,

Affirming that human rights obligations, standards and principles have the potential

to inform and strengthen international, regional and national policymaking in the area of

climate change, promoting policy coherence, legitimacy and sustainable outcomes,

Emphasizing that the adverse effects of climate change have a range of implications,

both direct and indirect, for the effective enjoyment of human rights, inter alia, the right to

life, the right to adequate food, the right to the enjoyment of highest attainable standard of

physical and mental health, the right to adequate housing, the right to self-determination,

the right to safe drinking water and sanitation and the right to development, and recalling

that in no case may a people be deprived of its own means of subsistence,

Expressing concern that, while these implications affect individuals and

communities around the world, the adverse effects of climate change are felt most acutely

by those segments of the population that are already in vulnerable situations owing to

factors such as geography, poverty, gender, age, indigenous or minority status, national or

social origin, birth or other status and disability,

Expressing concern also that countries lacking the resources for implementing their

adaptation plans and programmes of action and effective adaptation strategies may suffer

from higher exposure to extreme weather events, in both rural and urban areas, particularly

in developing countries, including those in least developed countries, small island

developing States and African countries with more climate vulnerability,

Recognizing the particular vulnerabilities of non-nationals who may face challenges

associated with implementing appropriate responses in extreme weather conditions owing

to their status and who may have limited access to information and services, resulting in

barriers to the full enjoyment of their human rights,

Affirming the commitment to enhance action on adaptation under the Cancun

Adaptation Framework and to implement further the Nairobi Work Programme of the

United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change,

Welcoming the holding of the twenty-first Conference of the Parties to the United

Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change in December 2015, in Paris,

Noting the importance of facilitating meaningful interaction between the human

rights and climate change communities in order to build capacity to deliver responses to

climate change, as outlined in the Geneva Pledge for Human Rights in Climate Action,

Noting also the establishment and the advocacy of the Climate Vulnerable Forum,

1. Expresses concern that climate change has contributed to the increase of both

sudden-onset natural disasters and slow-onset events, and that these events have adverse

effects on the full enjoyment of all human rights;

2. Emphasizes the urgent importance of continuing to address, as they relate to

States’ human rights obligations, the adverse consequences of climate change for all,

particularly in developing countries and the people whose situation is most vulnerable to

climate change, especially those in a situation of extreme poverty, and deteriorating

livelihood conditions;

3. Decides to incorporate into its programme of work for the thirty-first session,

on the basis of the different elements contained in the present resolution, a panel discussion

on the adverse impact of climate change on States’ efforts to progressively realize the right

of everyone to the enjoyment of the highest attainable standard of physical and mental

health and related policies, lessons learned and good practices;

4. Requests the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human

Rights, in consultation with and taking into account the views of States, the special

procedures of the Human Rights Council, the World Health Organization and other relevant

international organizations and intergovernmental bodies, including the Intergovernmental

Panel on Climate Change and the secretariat of the United Nations Framework Convention

on Climate Change, and other stakeholders, to conduct, from within existing resources, a

detailed analytical study on the relationship between climate change and the human right of

everyone to the enjoyment of the highest attainable standard of physical and mental health

to be submitted to the Council prior to its thirty-first session and with a view to informing

the panel discussion mandated in paragraph 3 above;

5. Also requests the Office of the High Commissioner to submit to the Human

Rights Council, at its session following the panel discussion, a summary report, including

any recommendations stemming therefrom, for consideration of further follow-up action;

6. Invites the special procedures mandate holders, within their respective

mandates, and other relevant stakeholders, including academic experts and civil society

organizations, to contribute actively to the panel discussion;

7. Encourages relevant special procedures mandate holders to continue to

consider the issue of climate change and human rights within their respective mandates;

8. Decides to consider the possibility of organizing follow-up events on climate

change and human rights within its future programme of work;

9. Requests the Secretary-General and the High Commissioner to provide all the

human and technical assistance necessary for the effective and timely realization of the

above-mentioned panel discussion, the summary report thereon, and the analytical study;

10. Decides to remain seized of the matter.

44th meeting

2 July 2015

[Adopted without a vote.]