Moroccan Holds Conference on Climate Change and Human Rights in Geneva

Rabat – Morocco organized a debate on Monday in Geneva to discuss possibilities for a global human rights-based climate change agenda.

At the meeting, held on the sidelines of the main sessions of the UN Human Rights Council, participants called for the strengthening of non-state initiatives to build bridges  bridges between the climate agenda and the protection of human rights. 

Mohamed Aujjar, the Permanent Representative of Morocco at the UN, stressed that human rights-based climate action would require open procedures and institutions as well as precise and transparent measures, notably in terms of reducing greenhouse gas emissions.

States should develop relevant human rights indicators in the context of climate change, he said, emphasizing the need for an equitable response to both development and environmental needs for future generations.

Driss El Yazami, the president of the National Human Rights Council (CNDH), called for greater contribution from national human rights institutions and also parliaments, urging for the alignment of national legislation with the provisions of the Paris Agreement.

The panel, which was moderated by director of the United Nations Environment Programme Jan Dusik, brought together various senior officials, notably from the International Organization for Migration (IOM) and the UN’s High Commissioner for Human Rights.