Integrating Human Rights in the Paris Implementation Guidelines

This briefing by the Center for International Environmental Law reviews the status of human rights, gender equality, and other social considerations within the negotiations for the Paris Agreement's implementation guidelines as of February 2018. It analyzes four key agenda items—Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs), Adaptation Communications, the Enhanced Transparency Framework (ETF), and the Global Stocktake (GST)—detailing the proposals made by various countries and the extent to which these social dimensions were reflected in the co-facilitators' notes following COP-23.

• Norway, supported by Canada and the African Group of Negotiators, proposed that parties be invited to include information on human rights, public participation, gender equality, and traditional knowledge in their NDCs. However, this proposal was omitted from the co-facilitators' final report after COP-23.
• Guidance for Adaptation Communications provides a mechanism to integrate human rights, gender equality, and indigenous peoples' rights based on Article 7.5 of the Paris Agreement. Proposals from Australia, AILAC, Canada, and Norway suggest that adaptation priorities and plans should address gender-responsive and participatory approaches, as well as traditional and indigenous knowledge.
• The Enhanced Transparency Framework (ETF) currently lacks mentions of human rights in its informal note, though it includes suggestions for reporting on gender, participation, and indigenous knowledge specifically within the contexts of adaptation and support, rather than mitigation.
• The Global Stocktake (GST) does not currently include human rights, gender, or indigenous peoples' rights in its scope, but it does reference other social issues such as food security, poverty eradication, job creation, social justice, and climate refugees and displaced people.
• The ability to integrate social and human dimensions into the Paris Agreement's implementation depends significantly on the role granted to non-governmental and intergovernmental organizations in the transparency framework and the Global Stocktake.
• COP-23 did not result in the adoption of a final negotiating text for the implementation guidelines; instead, facilitators issued "facilitators notes" that varied in maturity across different agenda items.

APA

Center for International Environmental Law (2018). Integrating Human Rights in the Paris Implementation Guidelines. https://www.ciel.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/StateOfPlay_APA_COP23-final.pdf

Chicago

Center for International Environmental Law. Integrating Human Rights in the Paris Implementation Guidelines. 2018. https://www.ciel.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/StateOfPlay_APA_COP23-final.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=Center for International Environmental Law |title=Integrating Human Rights in the Paris Implementation Guidelines |date=February 2018 |url=https://www.ciel.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/StateOfPlay_APA_COP23-final.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{centerforinternationalenvironmentallaw2018integrating, author = {{Center for International Environmental Law}}, title = {{Integrating Human Rights in the Paris Implementation Guidelines}}, institution = {Center for International Environmental Law}, year = {2018}, month = feb, url = {https://www.ciel.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/04/StateOfPlay_APA_COP23-final.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }