General Debate under Item 5: Human Rights bodies and mechanisms

28 June, 2018

Joint statement by: International-Lawyers.Org and Geneva International Centre for Justice (GICJ)

Thank you, Mr. President,

We would like to express our serious concern regarding the protection of the right to health, as well as the impact of climate change on the realisation and fulfilment of human rights around the globe.

In this sense, we call on this Council’s attention once again, as well as on the special rapporteur on the right to health, to urge the World Health Organization to promote the right to health and to put into practice the commitment it has made in its recently adopted 13th General Programme of Work, of insuring respect for the right to health by all states by adopting unequivocal resolutions at the World Health Assembly.

Additionally, International Lawyer.org and Geneva International Centre for Justice note that although climate change is perhaps the most serious threat to the human rights of the greatest number of people on this planet, we regret that insufficient action has been agreed by the international community to protect the most vulnerable populations from the most serious adverse effects of climate change. Thus, we urge this Council to appoint a special rapporteur on human rights and climate change who can encourage stronger international action to protect the human rights and the welfare of the billions of people who are being and will be under the threat and adversely affected by the concerning issue of climate change.

Thank you.