Background

The mandate of the Special Rapporteur on the promotion and protection of human rights in the context of climate change was established by the UN Human Rights Council at its 48th session in October 2021 (RES/48/14) and renewed at its 57^th session in October 2024 (RES/57/31). 

The Special Rapporteur is tasked to carry out, among others:

• Study and identify how the adverse effects of climate change, including sudden and slow onset disasters, affect the full and effective enjoyment of human rights and make recommendations on how to address and prevent these adverse effects, in particular ways to strengthen the integration of human rights concerns into policymaking, legislation and plans addressing climate change;
• Identify existing challenges, including financial challenges, in States’ efforts to promote and protect human rights while addressing the adverse effects of climate change, and make recommendations regarding respect for, and promotion of, human rights, including in the context of the design and implementation of mitigation and adaptation policies, practices, investments and other projects;
• Synthesize knowledge, including indigenous and local traditional knowledge, and identify good practices, strategies and policies that address how human rights are integrated into climate change policies and how these efforts contribute to the promotion and protection of all human rights and poverty alleviation;
• Promote and exchange views on lessons learned and best practices related to the adoption of human rights-based, gender-responsive, age-sensitive, disability-inclusive and risk-informed approaches to climate change adaptation and mitigation policies, with a view to contributing to the achievement of the Paris Agreement and the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, which could help in the realization of the Sustainable Development Goals, in particular Goals 13 and 14, to address the economic, cultural, environmental and social challenges that climate change poses for the full enjoyment of human rights for all and in particular to support the resilience and adaptive capacities of people in vulnerable situations to respond to the adverse impact of climate change;
• Raise awareness on the human rights affected by climate change, especially of persons living in developing countries particularly vulnerable to climate change, such as least developed countries, small island developing States and landlocked developing States, and encourage increased global cooperation in this regard;
• Facilitate and contribute to the exchange of technical assistance, capacity-building and international cooperation in support of national efforts, actions and measures to address the adverse impact of climate change on the enjoyment of human rights, in collaboration with Governments, international organizations, civil society, the technical and academic communities, the private sector and all relevant stakeholders, including by using new and emerging digital technologies;
• Integrate a gender-responsive, age-sensitive, disability inclusive and social-inclusion perspective throughout the work of the mandate;
• Work closely with States and relevant stakeholders, including business enterprises, both transnational and others, to adopt a human rights perspective in accordance with the Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights to mitigate potential adverse effects of their activities, including investment projects, on human rights in the context of climate change.

In this context, the Special Rapporteur would be grateful for any responses you may provide to the questions below. You need not answer all of them and focus on the ones that are relevant to you.

The Special Rapporteur would be grateful for submissions before 18 November 2024 in preparations of the visit. Submissions received after 18 November 2024 could be considered at a later stage. Please send your response, in English or French, to hrc-sr-climatechange@un.org

Please feel free to share this message and the questions with anyone who might be interested in contributing.

Your responses will be kept confidential. Neither you nor your organization will be identified, and your response will not be attributed to you or your organization, even if the Special Rapporteur raises issues that you brought to her attention.

Should you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact us (hrc-sr-climatechange@un.org).

Key questions and types of input/comments sought

1. What are the major domestic laws and regulations that are intended to protect and promote human rights in the context of climate change? How well are they implemented and enforced?
   1. Are there any good examples? Why are these good examples?
   2. Are there any challenges? What are the causes? How can these be overcome?
2. What are the most urgent climate-related human rights issues that would require the attention of the Special Rapporteur?
   1. What is the cause? What needs to be done?
   2. How can the Special Rapporteur contribute to making the situation better?
3. To what extent have international climate and development cooperation contributed to the protection of human rights in Vanuatu? Have there been any internationally financed climate projects that have negatively impacted on human rights? Are there any good practices that should be brought to the attention of other climate finance providers?
4. How would you evaluate the practices of businesses whose activities have human rights implications in the context of climate change (e.g., energy, mining, forestry, tourism etc.) in Vanuatu, including multinational, domestic and state-owned businesses? What role does the Government of Vanuatu and the Governments of the home countries of multinational companies play in addressing climate-related human rights violations created by business enterprises?
5. Please provide contact details of any key persons and/or civil society organizations (e.g. academics, government officials, research institutes, environmental organizations, victims’ organizations, etc.) who you think it would be useful for the Special Rapporteur to be in touch with, either in Vanuatu or elsewhere.

Next steps following the country visit

Following the visit, the Special Rapporteur will submit an official report of the visit to the Human Rights Council which will include her recommendations to the Government of Vanuatu, the international community, UN agencies, CSOs, businesses, etc.