States’ Human Rights Obligations in the Context of Climate Change

This 2022 report by the Center for International Environmental Law (CIEL) and the Global Initiative for Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (GI-ESCR) analyzes the activities of United Nations Human Rights Treaty Bodies (HRTBs) regarding climate change during 2020 and 2021. It details how these expert bodies use state review processes, general comments, and individual communications to define and monitor states' human rights obligations to mitigate and adapt to the climate crisis.

• The frequency of climate-related outputs from Human Rights Treaty Bodies (HRTBs) increased significantly during the pandemic, with 2021 seeing the highest number of references to date. In 2021, climate-related outputs totaled 69, representing approximately 53% of all outputs issued that year, compared to 54 references (about 38% of total outputs) in 2020.
• HRTBs are expanding their scrutiny of climate obligations beyond vulnerable Small Island Developing States (SIDS) to include major economies. Since 2020, 43 countries have received their first-ever climate-related recommendation or question, including Brazil, France, Indonesia, and South Africa.
• Adaptation and disaster risk reduction remain the most common themes in HRTB outputs, with a particular focus on protecting vulnerable groups such as Indigenous Peoples, ethnic minorities, and children. In 2020 and 2021, 112 outputs addressed adaptation and resilience, with 79 of those directed at SIDS, Least Developed Countries (LDCs), or other developing nations.

APA

McKernan, L., Wyss, J., Duyck, S., & Mingrone, F. (2022). States’ Human Rights Obligations in the Context of Climate Change. Center for International Environmental Law. https://www.ciel.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/01/HRTB-2022_23Jan23.pdf

Chicago

McKernan, Lucy, Juliette Wyss, Sébastien Duyck, and Francesca Mingrone. States’ Human Rights Obligations in the Context of Climate Change. Center for International Environmental Law, 2022. https://www.ciel.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/01/HRTB-2022_23Jan23.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=McKernan |first1=Lucy |last2=Wyss |first2=Juliette |last3=Duyck |first3=Sébastien |last4=Mingrone |first4=Francesca |title=States’ Human Rights Obligations in the Context of Climate Change |publisher=Center for International Environmental Law |date=2022 |url=https://www.ciel.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/01/HRTB-2022_23Jan23.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{mckernan2022states, author = {McKernan, Lucy and Wyss, Juliette and Duyck, Sébastien and Mingrone, Francesca}, title = {{States’ Human Rights Obligations in the Context of Climate Change}}, institution = {Center for International Environmental Law}, year = {2022}, url = {https://www.ciel.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/01/HRTB-2022_23Jan23.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }