Delivering on the Paris Promises: Combating Climate Change while Protecting Rights

This briefing paper by the Center for International Environmental Law (CIEL) and partners argues that the effective implementation of the Paris Agreement depends on the integration of human rights and social and environmental principles into the 'Paris Rule Book'. The document outlines how principles such as gender equality, indigenous rights, and a just transition should be embedded into Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs), Adaptation Communications, the Transparency Framework, and the Global Stocktake to ensure policy coherence and protect vulnerable populations.

• The Paris Agreement's preamble explicitly requires states to respect and promote human rights when addressing climate change, specifically highlighting the needs of disproportionately affected groups including women, children, migrants, people with disabilities, and indigenous peoples.
• Climate mitigation and adaptation measures can inadvertently violate human rights if they lack public consultation or fail to consider social and ecological impacts; examples include biofuel plantations, large hydropower plants, and poorly designed adaptation projects.
• Indigenous peoples, who make up 5% of the global population but 15% of the world's poorest, are critical to climate action because 80% of the planet's biodiversity is located on their lands and territories.
• A 'just transition' is necessary to protect workers whose jobs and livelihoods are at risk due to climate policies, ensuring they have an active role in rethinking their future to build social support for climate action.
• The briefing recommends that Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) be designed participatively and include specific information on how governments will respect human rights, food security, gender equality, and ecosystem integrity.
• The Global Stocktake should be expanded beyond quantitative metrics to include a specific stream that reviews how climate actions contribute to the respect and promotion of social principles.
• The Transparency Framework should move beyond accounting for emissions and financial transfers to report on how parties fulfill human rights obligations, with land sector emissions reported separately from industrial emissions.

APA

Duyck, S., Lennon, E., Sherpa, L. N., Rawe, T., Rosemberg, A., Wessendorf, K., Petersen, L. M. L., Camacho, M., & Uribe, J. V. (n.d.). Delivering on the Paris Promises: Combating Climate Change while Protecting Rights. Center for International Environmental Law. https://www.ciel.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/Delivering-On-Paris-Web.pdf

Chicago

Duyck, Sébastien, Erika Lennon, Lapka Nuri Sherpa, Tonya Rawe, Anabella Rosemberg, Kathrin Wessendorf, Lærke Marie Lund Petersen, Monica Camacho, and Juliana Vélez Uribe. Delivering on the Paris Promises: Combating Climate Change while Protecting Rights. Center for International Environmental Law, n.d. https://www.ciel.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/Delivering-On-Paris-Web.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Duyck |first1=Sébastien |last2=Lennon |first2=Erika |last3=Sherpa |first3=Lapka Nuri |last4=Rawe |first4=Tonya |last5=Rosemberg |first5=Anabella |last6=Wessendorf |first6=Kathrin |last7=Petersen |first7=Lærke Marie Lund |last8=Camacho |first8=Monica |last9=Uribe |first9=Juliana Vélez |title=Delivering on the Paris Promises: Combating Climate Change while Protecting Rights |publisher=Center for International Environmental Law |url=https://www.ciel.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/Delivering-On-Paris-Web.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{duycknddelivering, author = {Duyck, Sébastien and Lennon, Erika and Sherpa, Lapka Nuri and Rawe, Tonya and Rosemberg, Anabella and Wessendorf, Kathrin and Petersen, Lærke Marie Lund and Camacho, Monica and Uribe, Juliana Vélez}, title = {{Delivering on the Paris Promises: Combating Climate Change while Protecting Rights}}, institution = {Center for International Environmental Law}, url = {https://www.ciel.org/wp-content/uploads/2017/05/Delivering-On-Paris-Web.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }