PROMOTING HUMAN RIGHTS IN CLIMATE ACTION: REPORT FROM THE GLASGOW CLIMATE CONFERENCE (COP26)

The report analyzes COP26 outcomes, noting that while some progress was made in referencing human rights within Article 6 rules and the CTCN Advisory Board, overall results were marred by exclusionary participation modalities and a failure to effectively confront the fossil fuel industry. It highlights significant gaps in loss and damage finance, the removal of human rights language from the Action for Climate Empowerment (ACE) work program, and superficial progress on gender-responsive climate action. The document concludes by outlining critical 2022 milestones, including the first Global Stocktake and the revision of Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs), as key opportunities to embed human rights and climate justice.

• The UK COP Presidency and UNFCCC failed to ensure inclusive participation at COP26, implementing an "unprecedented" blanket ban on civil society and Indigenous Peoples representatives in negotiation spaces during the first two days and maintaining severely curtailed access throughout the event.
• The Glasgow Climate Pact failed to effectively address the fossil fuel industry, focusing only on "unabated coal and inefficient fossil fuel subsidies" while excluding oil and gas and allowing for "dangerous and unproven technologies such as carbon capture and storage".
• Rules for Article 6 of the Paris Agreement now include references to human rights and the rights of Indigenous Peoples in the annexes, but these are deemed insufficient as they do not ensure the right to free, prior and informed consent (FPIC) and contain carve-outs for domestic arrangements.
• Article 6 rules contain loopholes that allow the use of "junk credits" from the Clean Development Mechanism (CDM) dating back to 2013, which may be linked to serious rights violations and land grabs.
• Progress on loss and damage was primarily institutional, such as the operationalization of the Santiago Network, but political action remained weak; the proposed Glasgow Finance Facility for Loss and Damage was "watered down significantly".
• The new ten-year Glasgow Work Program on Action for Climate Empowerment (ACE) lacks any mention of human rights in its final text after a "human rights-based approach" reference was deleted during closed-door negotiations.
• The Climate Technology Center and Network (CTCN) improved representation by adding six observer constituency representatives to its Advisory Board, including representatives from Indigenous Peoples and women and gender constituencies.
• Gender-responsive climate action at COP26 was characterized as "technocratic and superficial", failing to provide clear guidance for the 2022 review of the Gender Action Plan (GAP) or address embedded power relations.

APA

Center for International Environmental Law (2022). PROMOTING HUMAN RIGHTS IN CLIMATE ACTION: REPORT FROM THE GLASGOW CLIMATE CONFERENCE (COP26). https://www.ciel.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/02/2022_02_25_CIEL_Briefing-Note_Report-from-the-Glasgow-climate-conference.pdf

Chicago

Center for International Environmental Law. PROMOTING HUMAN RIGHTS IN CLIMATE ACTION: REPORT FROM THE GLASGOW CLIMATE CONFERENCE (COP26). 2022. https://www.ciel.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/02/2022_02_25_CIEL_Briefing-Note_Report-from-the-Glasgow-climate-conference.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=Center for International Environmental Law |title=PROMOTING HUMAN RIGHTS IN CLIMATE ACTION: REPORT FROM THE GLASGOW CLIMATE CONFERENCE (COP26) |date=February 2022 |url=https://www.ciel.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/02/2022_02_25_CIEL_Briefing-Note_Report-from-the-Glasgow-climate-conference.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{centerforinternationalenvironmentallaw2022promoting, author = {{Center for International Environmental Law}}, title = {{PROMOTING HUMAN RIGHTS IN CLIMATE ACTION: REPORT FROM THE GLASGOW CLIMATE CONFERENCE (COP26)}}, institution = {Center for International Environmental Law}, year = {2022}, month = feb, url = {https://www.ciel.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/02/2022_02_25_CIEL_Briefing-Note_Report-from-the-Glasgow-climate-conference.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }