Climate change and the right to a healthy environment

One of the most urgent human rights issues facing communities in South-East Asia and the Pacific is the impact of climate change and environmental harm.

Across the region, millions of people are at risk from rising sea levels, extreme weather events, increasing salination, drought, disease and other changes caused by a warming planet. In addition, the operations of national and transnational corporations can result in emissions, pollution and other environmental damage that compromises the health and livelihoods of communities.

We also know that the human rights impacts on vulnerable groups – including women, children, people with disabilities and indigenous peoples – is greatly magnified.

Role of NHRIs

NHRIs can play a vital role to respond to and mitigate these human rights impacts, linking the international commitments made by their State with national actions. They can, for example, advise their governments on their obligations to implement the Paris Agreement, as well as supporting effective climate governance and facilitating progress towards zero-carbon economies.

They can also use their unique mandate to promote decision-making on climate change and environmental rights that is participatory, non-discriminatory and accountable.

This important contribution was reflected in a resolution, adopted by the UN Human Rights Council in October 2022, that highlighted the vital role of NHRIs to monitor the human rights impacts of climate change and advise government and others on the design and implementation of mitigation and adaptation policies and practices.

This ‘bridging role’ extends to engaging with climate change responses at the regional level, where NHRIs can link local and grassroots experiences to regional policy making processes and, in turn, disseminating and promoting regional policies at the national level.

National activities for regional impact

Through this project, the APF sought to leverage the mandate of NHRIs to implement national activities on human rights, climate change and the environment, while establishing a foundation for engagement and collaboration with their respective IGMs.

Four NHRIs – Thailand and the Philippines from South-East Asia, and Fiji and Samoa from the Pacific – were selected through a competitive process to receive small grants to conduct their national activities.

Fiji: To determine the impact of climate change on the human rights of selected communities and collate disaggregated data, as well as raise awareness on the new Climate Change Act and to identify whether the law adequately addresses the human rights concerns of vulnerable communities.

Philippines: To document experiences and best practices from communities, businesses, and the government on the impact of climate change, including gendered impacts, and support the national AICHR representative in contributing to the proposed regional framework on environmental rights in Southeast Asia. 

Samoa: To convene a High-Level Dialogue and workshop on human rights relating to a clean and healthy environment and climate change that will engage government leaders and policymakers and inform laws and policies to safeguard the human rights of Samoans in the context of climate change.

Thailand: To strengthen the local community movement in Thailand and creat space for more community voices on realising the rights to a healthy environment, with recommendations developed for the national AICHR representative on the proposed regional framework on environmental rights in ASEAN.