A UN SPECIAL RAPPORTEUR ON HUMAN RIGHTS & CLIMATE CHANGE?

The report advocates for the establishment of a UN Special Rapporteur on Human Rights and Climate Change to address the holistic impact of the climate crisis on human rights. Based on consultations with 157 participants across 55 countries, it argues that a dedicated mandate would ensure consistency in how the Human Rights Council addresses climate change, increase accountability for state and non-state actors, and protect vulnerable groups, including Indigenous Peoples and environmental defenders. The document outlines regional priorities—such as addressing climate debt in Africa and climate displacement in Asia and the Pacific—and emphasizes the need for the role to be supported by sufficient financial resources and political will from Member States.

• There is a perceived need for a dedicated UN mechanism because current Human Rights Council (HRC) efforts are ad hoc and cannot keep pace with the accelerated climate crisis.
• Regional consultations identified specific priorities for the mandate: Africa emphasized climate debt and the protection of environmental defenders; Asia focused on the criminalisation of defenders and internal displacement; the Pacific highlighted climate displacement and access to international funds; and Europe, the Arctic, and North America stressed accountability and the need for a better legal framework for redress.
• A central priority across all regions is holding both state and non-state actors accountable for climate impacts, including the role of businesses, financial institutions, and fossil fuel extraction.
• The report identifies several highly vulnerable groups that the Special Rapporteur should prioritise, specifically noting that climate change can have a 'genocidal impact' on Indigenous Peoples due to the loss of land.
• The proposed mandate should not operate in isolation but must create synergies with existing UN Special Procedures, such as the Special Rapporteur on Human Rights and the Environment, and other bodies like the UNFCCC.
• The effectiveness of the new mandate is contingent upon receiving strong political support and adequate financial resources from Member States of the Human Rights Council.

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} }