National Human Rights Institutions and the 2018 Talanoa Dialogue

This briefing note provides an overview of the 2018 Talanoa Dialogue on Climate Ambition, outlining how National Human Rights Institutions (NHRIs) and civil society can integrate human rights-based perspectives into the process to inform future national climate commitments.

• The Talanoa Dialogue is a facilitative process organized throughout 2018 to increase climate action ambition by reviewing progress toward Paris Agreement goals and informing the Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) to be submitted by state parties in 2020.
• The Dialogue utilizes the 'Talanoa' tradition from the Pacific, which emphasizes inclusive, transparent decision-making through the sharing of stories and mutual listening to build empathy and consensus, specifically avoiding adversarial 'finger pointing' or 'naming and shaming'.
• The process is structured around three central guiding questions: 'Where are we now?', 'Where do we want to be?', and 'How do we get there?'.
• The Dialogue is open to all state and non-state actors, including NHRIs and civil society, regardless of their observer status with the UNFCCC, provided their contributions are verifiable and follow the Talanoa methodology.
• The Dialogue consists of several stages: a preparatory phase (January–October 2018) involving online submissions and in-session dialogues in Bonn in May 2018, and a final political phase at COP-24 in Katowice, Poland, in December 2018.
• NHRIs are encouraged to use the Dialogue to promote human rights-based climate action, specifically focusing on the rights of indigenous peoples, gender equality, food security, just transition, ecosystem integrity, and public participation.
• The briefing identifies several decentralized events as entry points for NHRIs, including the Global Climate Action Summit in San Francisco, the U20 mayoral Summit in Buenos Aires, the Climate Alliance International Conference in Spain, and the International Conference on Climate Change, Biodiversity, and Regional Agreements in Mexico.

APA

Duyck, S., & Lennon, E. (2018). National Human Rights Institutions and the 2018 Talanoa Dialogue. Center for International Environmental Law. https://www.ciel.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/08/Information_National_Human_Rights_Institutions_and_the_2018_Talanoa_Dialogue.pdf

Chicago

Duyck, Sébastien, and Erika Lennon. National Human Rights Institutions and the 2018 Talanoa Dialogue. Center for International Environmental Law, 2018. https://www.ciel.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/08/Information_National_Human_Rights_Institutions_and_the_2018_Talanoa_Dialogue.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Duyck |first1=Sébastien |last2=Lennon |first2=Erika |title=National Human Rights Institutions and the 2018 Talanoa Dialogue |publisher=Center for International Environmental Law |date=August 2018 |url=https://www.ciel.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/08/Information_National_Human_Rights_Institutions_and_the_2018_Talanoa_Dialogue.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{duyck2018national, author = {Duyck, Sébastien and Lennon, Erika}, title = {{National Human Rights Institutions and the 2018 Talanoa Dialogue}}, institution = {Center for International Environmental Law}, year = {2018}, month = aug, url = {https://www.ciel.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/08/Information_National_Human_Rights_Institutions_and_the_2018_Talanoa_Dialogue.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }