In her capacity as Vice-President of the Global Alliance of National Human Rights Institutions (GANHRI), Mrs. Amina Bouayach, Chairperson of the National Human Rights Council of Morocco (CNDH), presided, on Wednesday 22 June 2022, in Geneva, a consultative meeting with Mr. Ian Fry, UN Special Rapporteur on the promotion and protection of human rights in the context of climate change.

On this occasion, the CNDH Chairperson stressed that combating “Climate change is a priority topic for GANHRI members and an urgent threat to the full enjoyment of human rights”. Its impacts are exacerbated, she added, due to drought and poverty, particularly for vulnerable groups: women, children, migrants, etc.

The GANHRI Vice-President also noted that National Human Rights Institutions (NHRIs) are required to strengthen and develop their working mechanisms in this field by elaborating reports and recommendations that would contribute to limiting the effects of climate change and promoting climate justice.

In this context, she called on NHRIs to increase their efforts in combating climate change, mainly by providing advice to countries and advocating for human rights to be at the core of responding to the impact of the phenomenon and facing challenges, thus, protecting the most vulnerable groups.

Mrs. Bouayach outlined the roles that NHRIs can play to ensure the synergy of their actions with the efforts of the Special Rapporteur on Climate Change in the following points:

-Advocate for the implementation of the recommendations and findings of his annual report to countries;

-Highlight the impact of climate change on human rights based on monitoring processes conducted by NHRIs;

-Collaborate before and during visits;

-Raise awareness of the centrality of human rights in combating climate change and promote climate justice.

On the other hand, the CNDH Chairperson underlined the declaration ratified by NHRIs in December 2021, which defines procedures, priorities and how to implement them within the framework of their mandates to promote a participatory human rights approach related to combating climate change and establishing climate justice.

Mrs. Bouayach also stressed the importance of the Special Rapporteur missions in guiding the NHRIs’ actions in this field, highlighting the complementarity and convergence of roles between NHRIs and the UN Special Rapporteur on the promotion and protection of human rights in the context of combating climate change.

Mr. Ian Fry is the first UN Special Rapporteur on the promotion and protection of human rights in the context of climate change. He was appointed by the United Nations Human Rights Council in March 2022 and his mandate was launched on May 1st. As part of his mandate, and among other things, the Special Rapporteur studies how negative climate impacts, including sudden and slow disasters, affect the full and effective enjoyment of human rights. He also elaborates recommendations on how to address and prevent such impacts, in particular ways to promote the integration of human rights in establishing policies and enacting relevant legislation and plans.