Integrating Human Rights in Climate Action

The document outlines the structure of the 2018 Talanoa Dialogue, a facilitative process designed to raise climate ambition and inform future Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs). It emphasizes that the Dialogue's participatory nature allows stakeholders to frame climate ambition through a human rights lens, including gender equality, food security, and a just transition. The briefing details a staged approach for input—from the preparatory phase ending in October to the political phase at COP-24—and advises contributors to use the 'Talanoa' methodology of sharing stories and positive experiences rather than adversarial 'name, shame, and blame' tactics to ensure their inputs are accepted by the Fijian presidency.

• The Talanoa Dialogue is a facilitative process organized in 2018 with two primary goals: taking stock of collective progress toward the Paris Agreement's long-term goals and informing the preparation of Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) for 2020.
• The Dialogue utilizes a specific Pacific tradition called 'Talanoa', which prioritizes consensus, empathy, and the sharing of stories over adversarial negotiations; the Fijian presidency has stated it will reject submissions that use 'name, shame, and blame' tactics.
• The process is structured around three guiding questions: 'Where are we?', 'Where do we want to go?', and 'How do we get there?'.
• The Dialogue is divided into a preparatory phase (January to October 2018) and a political phase (December 2018 at COP-24 in Katowice, Poland). The preparatory phase includes written inputs via a web portal and in-session dialogues in Bonn from April 30 to May 10.
• The document argues that climate ambition should be reframed to include not only greenhouse gas emission reductions but also the realization of human rights, such as the rights of indigenous peoples, gender equality, food security, a just transition, ecosystem integrity, and public participation.
• To be effective, civil society inputs should emphasize real-world stories and actionable solutions, and should recognize that climate ambition encompasses mitigation, adaptation, loss and damage, and means of implementation like financial and technological support.

APA

Center for International Environmental Law (2018). Integrating Human Rights in Climate Action. https://www.ciel.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/Note_TalanoaDialogue_Rights4Ambition.pdf

Chicago

Center for International Environmental Law. Integrating Human Rights in Climate Action. 2018. https://www.ciel.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/Note_TalanoaDialogue_Rights4Ambition.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=Center for International Environmental Law |title=Integrating Human Rights in Climate Action |date=March 2018 |url=https://www.ciel.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/Note_TalanoaDialogue_Rights4Ambition.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{centerforinternationalenvironmentallaw2018integrating, author = {{Center for International Environmental Law}}, title = {{Integrating Human Rights in Climate Action}}, institution = {Center for International Environmental Law}, year = {2018}, month = mar, url = {https://www.ciel.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/Note_TalanoaDialogue_Rights4Ambition.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }