Obligaciones de los Estados en materia de derechos humanos en el contexto del cambio climático

The report analyzes how UN Human Rights Treaty Bodies (HRTBs) are increasingly integrating climate change into their oversight of State obligations. In 2022, HRTBs made 95 references to climate change in their pronouncements, reflecting a trend toward treating the climate crisis as an urgent human rights issue. Key focus areas include the obligation of developed states to mitigate emissions, the need to phase out fossil fuels, and the protection of vulnerable groups such as children, women, persons with disabilities, and Indigenous Peoples. A landmark decision by the Human Rights Committee in Billy et al. v. Australia established a State's duty to protect individuals under its jurisdiction from climate impacts and provide effective remedies. The report emphasizes the growing role of HRTBs in defining extraterritorial obligations and the duty to regulate private corporate actors contributing to environmental degradation.

• Human Rights Treaty Bodies (HRTBs) have significantly increased their focus on climate change, with 95 references in 2022 pronouncements (including Concluding Observations, Lists of Issues, and Pre-sessional Lists of Issues), compared to 61 in 2019, 54 in 2020, and 69 in 2021.
• The Human Rights Committee (CCPR) issued a landmark ruling in Billy et al. v. Australia, marking the first time an HRTB established a State's duty to protect people under its jurisdiction from climate change impacts and the obligation to provide effective remedies.
• HRTBs are increasingly linking human rights obligations to the phase-out of fossil fuels, arguing that continued production and export are incompatible with human rights and the Paris Agreement.
• The Committee on the Rights of the Child (CRC) is developing General Comment No. 26, which identifies a safe climate as an essential element of the right to a clean, healthy, and sustainable environment and calls for the gradual elimination of coal, oil, and natural gas.
• The Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW) adopted General Recommendation No. 39 in 2022, highlighting that Indigenous women and girls are extremely affected by climate change and requiring free, prior, and informed consent for economic or mitigation projects on their lands.
• HRTBs emphasize that States have an extraterritorial obligation to regulate private corporate entities domiciled within their territory to prevent human rights violations caused by climate-contributing activities abroad.
• The Committee on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD) has highlighted the need for inclusive climate mitigation and disaster risk reduction policies, specifically calling for consultations with organizations of persons with disabilities.

APA

Mingrone, F., Vandamme, L., & Duyck, S. (2023). Obligaciones de los Estados en materia de derechos humanos en el contexto del cambio climático. Center for International Environmental Law. https://www.ciel.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/Obligaciones-de-los-Estados-en-materia-de-derechos-humanos-en-el-contexto-de-cambio-climatico-2023_ES.pdf

Chicago

Mingrone, Francesca, Lien Vandamme, and Sébastien Duyck. Obligaciones de los Estados en materia de derechos humanos en el contexto del cambio climático. Center for International Environmental Law, 2023. https://www.ciel.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/Obligaciones-de-los-Estados-en-materia-de-derechos-humanos-en-el-contexto-de-cambio-climatico-2023_ES.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Mingrone |first1=Francesca |last2=Vandamme |first2=Lien |last3=Duyck |first3=Sébastien |title=Obligaciones de los Estados en materia de derechos humanos en el contexto del cambio climático |publisher=Center for International Environmental Law |date=May 2023 |url=https://www.ciel.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/Obligaciones-de-los-Estados-en-materia-de-derechos-humanos-en-el-contexto-de-cambio-climatico-2023_ES.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{mingrone2023obligaciones, author = {Mingrone, Francesca and Vandamme, Lien and Duyck, Sébastien}, title = {{Obligaciones de los Estados en materia de derechos humanos en el contexto del cambio climático}}, institution = {Center for International Environmental Law}, year = {2023}, month = may, url = {https://www.ciel.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/Obligaciones-de-los-Estados-en-materia-de-derechos-humanos-en-el-contexto-de-cambio-climatico-2023_ES.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }