Maldives underlines the importance of continuing the debate on climate change and human rights

Speaking during the General Debate on the Report of the Social Forum in the Human Rights Council, Iruthisham Adam has stressed the importance of addressing climate change and human rights challenges noting the negative implications of climate changes on the full enjoyment of human rights.

In her statement, Ambassador Adam stated that while consensus has been reached within the international community on several aspects concerning climate change and human rights, such as
identifying the obligations of the states to protect human rights within the context of climate change and the beneficial effects resulting from applying human rights principles to climate change policies; there still remained additional questions that needed to be addressed.

Ambassador Adam questioned whether the negative human rights impacts of climate change could be considered a human rights violation, and as to how one would demonstrate accountability. Ambassador Adam also questioned the obligations of the states at national level in the context of protecting vulnerable populations in the face climate change, and argued that states responsible for global warming had a positive obligation to protect human rights in vulnerable states by providing adaptation assistance.

Ambassador Adam concluded her statement by reiterating Maldives’ position that addressing these areas went to the very heart of the relationship between human rights and climate change, and called it an important future challenge for the Human Rights Council and its mechanisms.