HUMAN RIGHTS IN 2025 NDCS: WHAT TO LOOK OUT FOR?

This guide, published by the Center for International Environmental Law (CIEL), provides a checklist for practitioners and civil society to ensure that 2025 Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) are aligned with international human rights obligations and climate objectives. It emphasizes that human rights-based climate action is more effective and is a legal obligation for all Parties to the Paris Agreement.

• The document asserts that all Parties to the Paris Agreement have legally binding human rights obligations and that NDCs, as the primary tool for national implementation, must be guided by these obligations, principles, and standards in their preparation, content, and implementation.
• To align with international law and climate goals, NDCs should include specific mitigation ambitions, including an overall emission reduction goal aligned with the 1.5°C limit, a plan for the urgent and equitable phase-out of fossil fuel production and use, and the removal of fossil fuel subsidies. The guide advises against relying on carbon offsets or technological solutions like Carbon Capture and Storage (CCS) and Carbon Dioxide Removal (CDR).
• The guide outlines requirements for inclusive and participatory planning, calling for dedicated measures to ensure the consultation of rightsholders, including Indigenous Peoples, trade unions, and vulnerable groups such as youth, children, persons with disabilities, and migrants.
• A human rights-aligned NDC must explicitly commit to protecting the rights of Indigenous Peoples according to international law, specifically the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP), and ensure the right to Free, Prior and Informed Consent during implementation.
• The checklist emphasizes a 'Just Transition' that includes the protection of core labor rights, the creation of decent work, and the prevention of human rights violations related to mining. It also calls for gender justice through gender-responsive climate finance and the integration of unpaid care work.

APA

Center for International Environmental Law (n.d.). HUMAN RIGHTS IN 2025 NDCS: WHAT TO LOOK OUT FOR? https://www.ciel.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/NDC-Checklist-1.pdf

Chicago

Center for International Environmental Law. HUMAN RIGHTS IN 2025 NDCS: WHAT TO LOOK OUT FOR? n.d. https://www.ciel.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/NDC-Checklist-1.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=Center for International Environmental Law |title=HUMAN RIGHTS IN 2025 NDCS: WHAT TO LOOK OUT FOR? |url=https://www.ciel.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/NDC-Checklist-1.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{centerforinternationalenvironmentallawndhuman, author = {{Center for International Environmental Law}}, title = {{HUMAN RIGHTS IN 2025 NDCS: WHAT TO LOOK OUT FOR?}}, institution = {Center for International Environmental Law}, url = {https://www.ciel.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/NDC-Checklist-1.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }