A UN SPECIAL RAPPORTEUR ON HUMAN RIGHTS & CLIMATE CHANGE?

This report presents recommendations from civil society and Indigenous Peoples experts regarding the creation of a new UN Special Rapporteur on Human Rights and Climate Change. Based on six regional consultations involving 157 participants from 55 countries, the document outlines the rationale for a dedicated mandate to address the holistic impact of climate change on human rights and the potential role of such a rapporteur in increasing accountability and supporting vulnerable communities.

• There is a documented need for a dedicated UN mechanism to address climate change holistically because the Human Rights Council has previously handled the issue on an ad hoc basis, and the accelerating pace of climate impacts requires a sustained and coordinated focus.
• The proposal for a UN Special Rapporteur on Human Rights and Climate Change has been supported by various states and international bodies, including the Climate Vulnerable Forum (CVF), the Marshall Islands, Bangladesh, the Micronesian Pacific States, and the Pacific Islands Forum (PIF).
• Regional consultations identified that a new Special Rapporteur should prioritize the protection of Indigenous Peoples, as climate change can have a "genocidal impact" due to the loss of land and disruption of cultural heritage. Other priority groups include youth, people with disabilities, rural women, and environmental defenders.
• A primary objective for the new mandate would be to address the human rights impacts of climate responses, such as climate finance, carbon trading, and nature conservation policies, which are currently perceived as receiving insufficient attention.
• The report emphasizes that the effectiveness of a new Special Rapporteur depends on receiving strong political support and adequate financial resources from Member States of the Human Rights Council to avoid the inefficiency sometimes associated with UN mechanisms.
• The proposed mandate is expected to perform normative work, such as developing indicators for 'just transition' and providing guidance for national law-making processes, including the implementation of Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) and the Paris Agreement.

APA

Schachter, C. B., & Mingrone, F. (2021). A UN SPECIAL RAPPORTEUR ON HUMAN RIGHTS & CLIMATE CHANGE? Center for International Environmental Law. https://www.ciel.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/02/UNSR-Report_English_2-5.pdf

Chicago

Schachter, Clémence Billard, and Francesca Mingrone. A UN SPECIAL RAPPORTEUR ON HUMAN RIGHTS & CLIMATE CHANGE? Center for International Environmental Law, 2021. https://www.ciel.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/02/UNSR-Report_English_2-5.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=Schachter |first1=Clémence Billard |last2=Mingrone |first2=Francesca |title=A UN SPECIAL RAPPORTEUR ON HUMAN RIGHTS & CLIMATE CHANGE? |publisher=Center for International Environmental Law |date=January 2021 |url=https://www.ciel.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/02/UNSR-Report_English_2-5.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{schachter2021special, author = {Schachter, Clémence Billard and Mingrone, Francesca}, title = {{A UN SPECIAL RAPPORTEUR ON HUMAN RIGHTS \& CLIMATE CHANGE?}}, institution = {Center for International Environmental Law}, year = {2021}, month = jan, url = {https://www.ciel.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/02/UNSR-Report_English_2-5.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }