The UN Human Rights council has made an important move forward on the connections between climate change, human rights and internal displacement.
From Climate Change Policy and Practice. During its 20th session, the UN Human Rights Council expressed concern over the expected exacerbating impact of climate change on natural hazards and climate-related events, and its related contribution to internal displacement.
Resolution A/HRC/20/L.14 – one of 22 adopted at the session – calls for disaster risk reduction (DRR) and the building of resilience to disasters to be addressed with a renewed sense of urgency in the context of sustainable development and poverty eradication.
In the resolution, the Council invites the Special Rapporteur on the human rights of internally displaced persons to continue exploring the human rights implications and dimensions of disaster-induced internal displacement, with a view to supporting Member States in their efforts to build local resilience and capacity to prevent displacement, or to provide assistance and protection to those who are forced to flee. The resolution refers to the adverse effects of climate change in environmental degradation and extreme weather events.
