Integrating Human Rights in Climate Action

This briefing note, prepared for a dinner discussion at the June 2019 Climate Negotiations (SB50), outlines the necessity of integrating human rights into climate action to ensure policy coherence and the protection of vulnerable populations. It traces the evolution of human rights recognition within the UNFCCC framework, from the 2010 Cancun Agreements to the 2015 Paris Agreement, and identifies specific opportunities at SB50 to implement social safeguards and review human rights-related workstreams.

• Integrating human rights into climate action is presented as a means to ensure States comply with UN human rights treaty obligations and to prevent climate policies from harming local communities and indigenous peoples. According to the IPCC, this integration leads to more resilient climate responses by incorporating traditional knowledge and increasing public support.
• The UNFCCC has progressively integrated human rights into its framework, starting with the 2010 Cancun Agreements (Decision 1/CP.16), which noted the impact of climate change on human rights and the need to protect indigenous rights during deforestation-related emission reductions. This was further solidified in the 2015 Paris Agreement preamble, which urges Parties to respect obligations regarding the rights of indigenous peoples, local communities, migrants, children, persons with disabilities, and people in vulnerable situations, as well as the right to health, development, and gender equality.
• The document identifies the 2020 update of Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) as a key opportunity for countries to integrate human rights into the design of their commitments and to report on gender-responsive public participation and engagement with indigenous peoples and local communities.
• At the SB50 negotiations, the document highlights the need for social and environmental safeguards, including grievance mechanisms, for the Article 6 mechanisms of the Paris Agreement. This is based on the failure of the Kyoto Protocol's Clean Development Mechanism, where projects were implemented despite infringing on the rights of indigenous peoples and local communities.
• The SB50 session includes reviews of three specific work areas critical to human rights: the Warsaw International Mechanism on Loss and Damage (specifically non-economic losses and displacement), the Gender Action Plan, and the Doha Work Programme on Action for Climate Empowerment (covering climate education, public participation, and access to information).

APA

Center for International Environmental Law (2019). Integrating Human Rights in Climate Action. https://www.ciel.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/HRCCdinner_SB50_backgroundnote-1.pdf

Chicago

Center for International Environmental Law. Integrating Human Rights in Climate Action. 2019. https://www.ciel.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/HRCCdinner_SB50_backgroundnote-1.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=Center for International Environmental Law |title=Integrating Human Rights in Climate Action |date=2019 |url=https://www.ciel.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/HRCCdinner_SB50_backgroundnote-1.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{centerforinternationalenvironmentallaw2019integrating, author = {{Center for International Environmental Law}}, title = {{Integrating Human Rights in Climate Action}}, institution = {Center for International Environmental Law}, year = {2019}, url = {https://www.ciel.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/HRCCdinner_SB50_backgroundnote-1.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }