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Rabat – Amina Bouayach, the President of the Moroccan National Council for Human Rights (CNDH), has urged placing human rights at the forefront of global efforts to combat climate change.
Bouayach addressed pressing issues and challenges threatening human rights during her participation at the annual meeting of the National Human Rights Institutions Network in Latin America, held in Bolivia. She emphasized the importance of protecting human rights and integrating them into the response to climate change.
“The climate crisis is an urgent and existential threat to us all,” stated Bouayach, who also serves as the Vice Chair of the Global Alliance of National Human Rights Institutions (GANHRI).
“Therefore, it is a major priority for human rights defenders and for the international community, including the alliance that unites us, to defend a clean, healthy, and sustainable environment for all,” she added.
In addition, Bouayach reiterated the need to prioritize human rights in climate decision-making and the commitment of national human rights institutions to advocate for climate justice.
She highlighted the success of GANHRI in obtaining observer status in the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, noting the increasing recognition of their role in historical UN decisions.
“This momentum allows us today to contribute our expertise in human rights to climate discussions and decision-making,” Bouayach added.
She also praised the Global Action Plan for the Protection of Human Rights Defenders, with a particular focus on defenders of environmental rights and indigenous peoples, who are particularly vulnerable to risks.
During the meeting, Bouayach commended the efforts of national human rights institutions, including the CNDH, in providing consultations for a sustainable environment, climate justice, accountability, and adaptation and mitigation of climate change impacts.
