The Climate Vulnerable Forum (CVF) presided by Bangladesh has celebrated the creation of a dedicated role to protect and promote human rights in the context of climate crisis.
The appointment of a special rapporteur was made at the Human Rights Council (HRC) in Geneva through a resolution on October 8 at the 48th session of the United Nations supreme body for human rights.
Welcoming the adoption of a resolution on the mandate of the new HRC special rapporteur, Foreign Minister Dr AK Abdul Momen commented that this was a proud achievement for the peoples of the world’s most climate threatened nations.
From the outset of Bangladesh’s presidency, pursuing this mandate had been a top priority, he added.
He said that many are being deprived of their rights to life and decent living due to climate change related displacement.
“In the CVF nations, 1.2 billion people are facing threats to the enjoyment of their fundamental human rights through climatic consequences including sea-level rise, river erosion, salinity increase, floods and droughts that claim lives, livelihoods and displace people from their ancestral homes and traditional jobs,” the minister added.
He expressed thanks to the Members of the Human Rights Council for supporting the long overdue and critical resolution to create this mandate.
Dr Momen also expressed his sincere thanks to the CVF secretariat for their efficient support and useful advice to the CVF presidency and all member states of the CVF.
The CVF’s Thematic Ambassador for Vulnerability, Saima Wazed; the Speaker of the Maldives People’s Majlis, and former President of Maldives Mohamed Nasheed; and Tosi Mpanu Mpanu, Chair of the UNFCCC Subsidiary Body for Scientific and Technological Advice (SBSTA) and CVF Thematic Ambassador for Renewable Energy also welcomed the decision taken by the UN Human Rights Council to establish the post of the Special Rapporteur on Human Rights and climate change.
The new mandate responds to repeated calls, first initiated by the CVF in 2019, and from wide-ranging climate-vulnerable countries, small island developing countries, least developed countries, low-lying countries, and landlocked countries at the forefront of the climate-change crisis.
A joint statement led by Bangladesh at the 46th HRC session in March 2021 calling for the creation of the special rapporteur was supported by 54 states.
The resolution adopted at the Human Rights Council emphasises the need for a continued focus on addressing the adverse consequences of climate change for all, particularly in developing countries and for the people whose situation is most vulnerable to climate change.
