The Human Rights and Climate Change working group, together with other coalitions working on gender, just transition, Indigenous peoples, and youth, have been working hard at the international climate change negotiations in Poland to make sure that human rights and other principles referred to in the preamble of the Paris climate agreement are also explicitly referenced in the Paris rule book that will guide countries in the implementation of the Paris Agreement.
Unfortunately the outcome is not looking good, as references to human rights have now been reduced compared to the initial negotiated text.
Read the joint op-Ed that Amnesty International published with other organizations.
Meanwhile, environmentalists heading to the climate meeting have been arrested, while others have been denied entry to Poland. Amnesty International is alarmed by what appears to be deliberate targeting of environmental human rights defenders during the climate conference. This is unfortunate and unprecedented at UN climate change meetings. Read Amnesty’s public statement.
On a separate note, Amnesty will be testifying tomorrow at the final hearing of the investigation of the Philippines Human Rights Commission on the responsibility of fossil fuel companies for human rights abuses related to climate change. This landmark investigation has the potential to establish a precedent that could help hundreds of millions of people worldwide. Read our media advisory.
