Statement by Volker Türk, United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights at the Global Climate Summit

Friends and colleagues,

My father is a landscape architect. And my uncle is a biologist specialised in lichen – which is the quintessential bio-indicator.

So, growing up, our dinner conversations often were about climate change.

And already in the 1970s, they could foresee what is happening today.

Over the past decades, the climate justice movement has expanded and deepened to become one of the most – if not the most – important social movement of our time.

Crucially, for all of us gathered here today, climate justice has come to embody two things.

First, the climate crisis is a human rights crisis, with real impact on human beings across the globe and for future generations.

Human rights are our compass to guide the important decisions that need to be made about climate change.

On how to bolster climate financing to benefit the people and countries that are most affected.

On mitigation and adaptation.

And on loss and damage. The agreement at COP27 to set up a loss and damage fund is an important step towards climate justice that environmental and human rights activists have long demanded.

A human rights-based approach enables a more effective response to the gender-differentiated impacts of climate change.

And free, meaningful and active participation for all, including those most affected by climate change, is absolutely necessary if we are serious about transparent, inclusive and accountable climate decision-making.

Second, we need each other to bring about real change.

We need to build bridges between people, institutions, businesses, governments. And between those most affected by climate change and those most responsible.

Each sector of society needs to work together to advance the right to a clean, healthy and sustainable environment, as was recognised by the General Assembly in July this year.

Looking at our Summit today: there are experts from diverse sectors of society, climate activists from the Boulder community and a virtual audience composed of educational institutions and people from around the world.

A Right Here Right Now celebrity driven social media campaign for COP27 reached an estimated 420 million people.

There is tremendous power in these numbers.

When existing systems are lacking, we can work together to find new climate solutions that are grounded in human rights.

Over the course of this Summit, you will learn about how we can innovate in our strategies: from litigation, advocacy, behavioural science, to traditional knowledge and technology to advance climate action that is rights-based.

You have an important task before you.

This Summit is expected to take the first steps toward substantiating – Right Here, Right Now – human rights climate commitments to protect our planet, and our humanity.

To push for greater ambition for climate action that is absolutely necessary - and vital for our survival.

This Alliance represents the power of change – that we can do things differently.

By drawing on the best parts of what makes us human – solidarity, empathy, and creativity.

I wish you a very successful meeting.