A/HRC/RES/38/4
Acknowledging that, as stated in the United Nations Framework Convention on
Climate Change, the global nature of climate change calls for the widest possible
cooperation by all countries and their participation in an effective and appropriate
international response, in accordance with their common but differentiated responsibilities
and respective capabilities and their social and economic conditions, and acknowledging
also that article 2, paragraph 2 of the Paris Agreement states that the Agreement will be
implemented to reflect equity and the principle of common but differentiated
responsibilities and respective capabilities, in the light of different national circumstances,
Noting the invitation by the Conference of the Parties to the United Nations
Framework Convention on Climate Change to the Paris Committee on Capacity-building,
in managing the 2016–2020 workplan, to take into consideration cross-cutting issues, such
as gender-responsiveness, human rights and indigenous peoples’ and local communities’
knowledge,3
Welcoming the adoption of the first gender action plan under the Lima Work
Programme on Gender at the twenty-third session of the Conference of the Parties to the
United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change,
Noting the importance of the work of the scientific community and the
Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, including its assessment reports, in support of
strengthening the global response to climate change, including considering the human
dimension, and indigenous peoples’ and local communities’ knowledge,
Acknowledging that, as stated in the United Nations Framework Convention on
Climate Change, responses to climate change should be coordinated with social and
economic development in an integrated manner with a view to avoiding adverse impacts on
the latter, taking into full account the legitimate priority needs of developing countries for
the achievement of sustained economic growth and the eradication of poverty,
Recognizing that poverty eradication is critical to the implementation of the
Sustainable Development Goals, climate change resilience and the promotion and
protection of human rights, including the rights of women and girls, who account for the
majority of people living in poverty worldwide,
Affirming that human rights obligations, standards and principles have the potential
to inform and strengthen international, regional and national policymaking in the area of
climate change, promoting policy coherence, legitimacy and sustainable outcomes,
Emphasizing that the adverse effects of climate change have a range of implications,
which can increase with greater global warming, both direct and indirect, for the effective
enjoyment of human rights, including, inter alia, the right to life, the right to adequate food,
the right to the enjoyment of highest attainable standard of physical and mental health, the
right to adequate housing, the right to self-determination, the rights to safe drinking water
and sanitation, the right to work and the right to development, and recalling that in no case
may a people be deprived of its own means of subsistence,
Recognizing that climate change poses an existential threat for some countries, and
recognizing also that climate change has already had an adverse impact on the full and
effective enjoyment of the human rights enshrined in the Universal Declaration of Human
Rights and other international human rights instruments,
Expressing concern that, while these implications affect individuals and
communities around the world, the adverse effects of climate change are felt most acutely
by those segments of the population that are already in vulnerable situations owing to
factors such as geography, poverty, gender, age, indigenous or minority status, national or
social origin, birth or other status and disability,
Recognizing that women and girls are disproportionately affected by the negative
impacts of climate change, and emphasizing that sudden-onset natural disasters and slowonset events seriously affect their access to food and nutrition, safe drinking water and
3
2
See FCCC/CP/2016/10/Add.2, decision 16/CP.22.