FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Human Rights and Climate Action – A COP25 Side Event

Global Perspectives on How Governments can Fulfill Human Rights Obligations and Confront Climate Change

Thursday, December 5, 2019
11:30 am – 1 pm CET (UTC+1)
IFEMA – Madrid, Spain
Room 6

Climate change cannot be separated from human rights. The impacts of climate change adversely and disproportionately affect people who are already most marginalized: women, youth, indigenous communities, rural land users, people living with disabilities, migrants, and those displaced by climate change and related conflict. The range of human rights affected by climate change is broad—rights to food, housing, livelihood, gender equality, self-determination (and other rights) are negatively impacted. Even efforts to address climate change have all too often adversely affected human rights.

But when human rights are realized, people are better equipped to lead and support efforts to address the climate crisis. Just and effective climate action requires stronger attention to human rights.

How can human rights be better protected and realized in the global fight against climate change? What are the key issues from the perspectives of groups most adversely affected, and from experts and practitioners seeking to ensure that human rights are understood and realized in climate action?

Join us for a panel discussion to explore answers to these questions and learn from a group of distinguished speakers addressing human rights and climate change from diverse perspectives.

Direct interview requests to tylerr@landesa.org.

Moderator

• Beth Roberts, Program Manager, Center for Women’s Land Rights, Landesa

Speakers

• Benjamin Schachter, Focal Point, Climate Change and Environment (OHCHR)
• Verona Collantes, Intergovernmental Specialist, Rio Declarations (UN Women)
• Sébastien Jodoin, Assistant Professor, Faculty of Law, McGill University, Canada
• Helda Khasmy, Indigenous Environment Defender, Indonesia
• Yurshell Rodriguez, Future Generations v. Ministry of the Environment and Others, Colombia

Event organizers include Landesa, McGill University, and Human Rights Watch.