Human Rights

Planned Relocation: Submission to the Special Rapporteur on the Human Rights of IDPs

Climate Refugees recently provided a submission on displacement and planned relocation in the context of climate change, in response to a call for input from Ms. Paula Gaviria-Betancur, UN Special Rapporteur on the human rights of internally displaced persons.

Based on our field visits and reporting from Miami and Kenya, we hope our submission will be helpful to the Special Rapporteur as she prepares her report to the forthcoming 56th session of the Human Rights Council.

Read the full submission below.

Climate Change, Loss & Damage, and Human Rights: Submission to OHCHR

In response to a call for input from the UN Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR), Climate Refugees has provided a submission to help inform the Secretary-General’s analytical study on the impact of loss and damage from the adverse effects of climate change on the full enjoyment of human rights, which will be presented at the Human Rights Committee at its 57th session later this year.

Climate Refugees’ submission is based on field work and subsequent reporting from the Lake Chad Basin, Kenya’s Rift Valley, and Miami (South Florida), as well as recent advocacy efforts on climate change migration and displacement.

Read the full submission to OHCHR below.

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Submission to the Canadian Senate's Study on Forced Displacement and Climate Change

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In November 2023, Climate Refugees Founder and Executive Director Amali Tower was invited to appear before the Canadian Senate’s Human Rights Committee as part of its study on Forced Global Displacement, to testify about the impacts of climate change on migration and forced displacement, particularly as it relates to adverse impacts on human rights.

Tower was invited to testify on a panel with other expert witnesses, and to provide a brief opening statement, followed by questions from committee members.

Climate Refugees was also invited to submit written testimony to the Senate of Canada. Together with other Senate Committee witnesses Dr. Camila Bustos, Assistant Professor of Law at the Elisabeth Haub School of Law at Pace University and Monica Iyer, Clinical Fellow and Senior Lecturing Fellow, Duke University School of Law, as well as key colleagues working in this field, we have submitted a written brief to the Senate Committee for further consideration.

You can access the brief below.

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Civil Society Calls For UN Action On Human Rights Violations At International Borders

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Climate Refugees is one of over 200 civil society organizations to sign onto a recent letter to the UN Human Rights Council (HRC) regarding the global phenomenon of deaths, torture and other grave human rights violations faced by people in transit across international borders.

As chilling details continue to emerge regarding the sinking of a ship in Greek waters on 14 June, in which hundreds of migrants lost their lives, it is critical that member and observer states to the HRC take action to address the serious and ongoing violations experienced by migrants at borders, as well as the racism, discrimination, and xenophobia that underpins a failed system of international migration governance.

In recognition that the status-quo is not only ineffective but unjust, the letter calls for the establishment of an independent monitoring mechanism to investigate rights violations and contribute to accountability and redress for victims. Despite the work of Special Rapporteurs and the HRC itself, rights violations at borders continue with impunity.

There is an urgent opportunity for states to position themselves as champions of a more just and humane migration governance system, but it will require a “new and stronger” response from the HRC.

Read the letter (in English) below. Versions in French and Spanish can be found here.

The Impact of Climate Change on the Right to Food

Submission to the United Nations Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) on the Adverse Impact of Climate Change on the Right to Food

In response to OHCHR’s call for inputs, Climate Refugees and Alight (formerly American Refugee Committee) provided this joint submission to help inform the UN Secretary General’s report on the adverse impacts of climate change on the full realization of the right to food, in accordance with Human Rights Council resolution 50/9.

The collaboration between our two organizations allowed for distinct but complimentary work to better inform the adverse impacts of climate change on frontline communities. As a humanitarian organization providing assistance to millions of refugees and displaced persons around the globe, Alight undertook OHCHR questions 4 and 5, informed by their country operations in the Horn of Africa and Pakistan, now deeply affected by climate impacts. Climate Refugees addressed OHCHR questions 1 and 6 based on climate displacement research and fieldwork conducted in Kenya, Somalia and Central America, also experiencing devastating drought, floods and disasters.

Read our full submission to OHCHR below