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This briefing by the Center for International Environmental Law (CIEL) and the Global Initiative for Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (GI-ESCR) examines how the Committee on the Rights of the Child (CRC) addresses climate change within the framework of the Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC Convention). It focuses on the CRC's 2018 state reporting procedure, highlighting recommendations on mitigation, adaptation, procedural rights, and international cooperation.

This briefing by the Center for International Environmental Law (CIEL) and the Global Initiative for Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (GI-ESCR) analyzes how the Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (CESCR) addresses climate change in relation to the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (ICESCR). It focuses on the Committee's 2018 activities, highlighting a trend of increasing climate-related recommendations in State reporting procedures and the specific human rights obligations States must uphold regarding mitigation, adaptation, and procedural rights.

This briefing note, prepared for a dinner discussion at the June 2019 Climate Negotiations (SB50), outlines the necessity of integrating human rights into climate action to ensure policy coherence and the protection of vulnerable populations. It traces the evolution of human rights recognition within the UNFCCC framework, from the 2010 Cancun Agreements to the 2015 Paris Agreement, and identifies specific opportunities at SB50 to implement social safeguards and review human rights-related workstreams.

This report, produced by the International Indigenous Peoples’ Forum on Climate Change (IIPFCC) and the Center for International Environmental Law (CIEL), serves as a compilation of decisions and conclusions adopted by the Parties to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) that reference Indigenous Peoples and traditional knowledge. Updated to reflect the outcomes of the Katowice Climate Conference (COP-24), the document outlines the legal framework provided by the UN Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (UNDRIP) and tracks the increasing integration of Indigenous rights and knowledge into climate policies, specifically highlighting the establishment of the Local Communities and Indigenous Peoples Platform.

This briefing by the Center for International Environmental Law (CIEL) and the Global Initiative for Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (GI-ESCR) analyzes the activities of the Committee on the Elimination of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW) regarding climate change in 2018. It details how the Committee uses General Recommendations and the State reporting procedure to define the human rights obligations of States to protect women from the disproportionate impacts of climate change, focusing heavily on adaptation and disaster risk reduction.

This report by the Center for International Environmental Law summarizes advocacy for human rights during the COP-24 climate conference in Katowice. It details the efforts to integrate human rights into the Paris Agreement Implementation Guidelines, reports on civil rights infringements by Polish authorities against conference attendees, and reviews the inclusion of human rights in other policy outcomes such as the Local Communities and Indigenous Peoples Platform and the Warsaw International Mechanism on Loss & Damage.

This briefing note from the Center for International Environmental Law (CIEL) outlines opportunities for UNFCCC Parties to enhance public participation and access to information within the implementation guidelines of the Paris Agreement, specifically in the context of COP-24.

A statement by environmental organizations opposing the negotiated NAFTA 2.0 deal, arguing that it fails to meet baseline environmental criteria and instead protects corporate polluters while undermining climate and pollution protections.

This document is a petition submitted on November 2, 2018, by three Romanian non-governmental organizations—Alburnus Maior, Greenpeace Romania, and the Independent Center for the Development of Environmental Resources (ICDER)—requesting non-disputing party (amicus curiae) status in the ICSID arbitration case Gabriel Resources Ltd. and Gabriel Resources (Jersey) v. Romania. The petitioners seek to provide the Tribunal with evidence and perspectives on the environmental, cultural, and social impacts of a proposed open-pit gold mine in Roşia Montană, as well as details regarding domestic legal challenges to the project.

This amicus curiae submission, filed by Alburnus Maior, Centrul Independent pentru Dezvoltarea Resurselor de Mediu (ICDER), and Greenpeace Romania, argues that Gabriel Resources Ltd. failed to meet investor responsibilities and legal requirements regarding a proposed gold mine in Roșia Montană, Romania. The document contends that the company lacked due diligence on project feasibility, violated human rights related to adequate housing, and failed to obtain necessary environmental and archaeological permits under Romanian and EU law.

This briefing proposes a new global Convention on Plastic Pollution to address the fragmented nature of existing international and regional frameworks. It outlines a multi-layered governance approach based on four pillars: coordination with existing agreements, pollution prevention through harmonization and control measures, capacity building and financial support for developing countries, and technical support for science-based decision-making. The document suggests an institutional architecture led by a Conference of the Parties and supported by a secretariat hosted by UN Environment, alongside specialized subsidiary bodies for funding, compliance, and knowledge exchange.

A statement by the Center for International Environmental Law (CIEL) welcoming the International Finance Corporation's (IFC) public commitment to zero tolerance for retaliation against stakeholders and calling for the enforcement of these policies across its clients and partners.

A statement by the Center for International Environmental Law calling for the United Nations to formally recognize the right to a healthy and sustainable environment to align with existing national and regional legal trends.

CIEL issued a statement on October 24, 2018, supporting a lawsuit filed by New York Attorney General Barbara Underwood against ExxonMobil. The lawsuit alleges that ExxonMobil defrauded shareholders and misled investors about the financial and regulatory risks climate change poses to its business, assets, and future, claiming these deceptive practices were sanctioned at the highest levels of the company, including former CEO Rex Tillerson.

The Center for International Environmental Law (CIEL) issued a statement responding to the IPCC Special Report on 1.5°C, emphasizing that limiting warming to 1.5°C is essential to avoid irreversible impacts on species, ecosystems, and human communities.

A statement by the Center for International Environmental Law urging Latin American and Caribbean countries to ratify the Escazú Agreement to guarantee environmental democracy and protect environmental and human rights defenders.

The Center for International Environmental Law (CIEL) provides a series of recommendations to the Inter-American Investment Corporation (IDB Invest) to strengthen its draft Access to Information Policy. CIEL argues that the policy should align with international human rights standards and regional agreements, such as the Escazú Agreement, to ensure the safety and meaningful participation of affected communities, particularly in Latin America and the Caribbean.

The Center for International Environmental Law criticizes the Trump Administration's Safe Affordable Fuel-Efficient (SAFE) Vehicles Rule, arguing that loosening carbon emissions standards for 2021-2026 and rolling back the Corporate Average Fuel Economy (CAFE) program undermines climate goals and ignores global market trends toward low-carbon vehicles.

This briefing note by the Center for International Environmental Law (CIEL) argues for the integration of human rights and people-centered principles into the Paris Agreement Implementation Guidelines. It provides specific wording proposals for the Bangkok session of the Subsidiary Bodies (September 2018) across four key areas: Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs), the Transparency Framework, the Global Stocktake, and Article 6 mechanisms.

This briefing note provides an overview of the 2018 Talanoa Dialogue on Climate Ambition, outlining how National Human Rights Institutions (NHRIs) and civil society can integrate human rights-based perspectives into the process to inform future national climate commitments.