Geneva Rights and Climate Talks

About the Geneva Rights and Climate Talks

In the face of the three interrelated environmental crises — climate change, loss of biodiversity, and pollution — the intensification of climate change-related extreme and slow-onset events constitutes one of the greatest threats to human rights, placing it at the forefront of the human rights agenda.

The Geneva Rights and Climate Talks is an opportunity to reflect on the challenges posed by the impacts of climate change and the intertwined human rights implications. The talks are also an opportunity to discuss how Geneva contributes to bringing together the actors working towards placing human rights at the heart of climate action.

Mobilizing Climate Actors in International Geneva

International Geneva is mobilized in the fight against climate change. In addition to the secretariat of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) and the headquarters of the World Meteorological Organization, the numerous international organizations, permanent missions, non-governmental organizations and other institutions based in Geneva place the climate issue at the heart of their work.

Referred to as the world capital for multilateralism, Geneva is at the center of numerous debates and negotiations in the fields of science, health, human rights, development, trade and green finance, employment, peacebuilding and security, disaster risk reduction, humanitarian issues, as well as new technologies and innovation. This interdisciplinarity allows International Geneva to have unique cross-disciplinary expertise on climate, this theme being on the agenda of numerous deliberations.

Advancing Rights and Climate @ HRC60

The Geneva Rights and Climate Talks is an opportunity to reflect on the challenges posed by the impacts of climate change and the intertwined human rights implications. As climate change and human rights continue to be high on the agenda of the 60th session of the Human Rights Council (HRC60), such as the UN Secretary-General’s report on just transition, this edition of the talks will continue to highlight how Geneva contributes to bringing together the actors working towards placing human rights at the heart of climate action. In this edition of the talks, topics to be tackled will include:

• Climate Change COP30, human rights, and the Global South

Human Rights, Climate Change, and the Role of Geneva

Climate change is one of the greatest existential threats for people and the planet. Its harmful effects undermine the full enjoyment and realization of all human rights, posing a serious risk to the fundamental rights to life, health, food and an adequate standard of living of individuals and communities across the world and disproportionately affecting those who are already in situations of vulnerability.

Highlighting the role of stakeholders from International Geneva as a global hub for environmental governance, learn how they are advancing a human rights-based approach in climate action.

Previous Geneva Rights and Climate Talks

HRC59

The UN Special Rapporteur on the promotion and protection of human rights in the context of climate change reports to the Human Rights Council during its June session on issues related to her mandate. At HRC59, the UN Special Rapporteur presented her report “The imperative of defossilizing our economies” (A/HRC/59/42), will seek to clarify and provide constructive recommendations on States’ international human rights obligations, as well as business responsibility, to ensure a just transition away from fossil fuels and the phase out of fossil fuel subsidies, to protect and respect human rights in the context of climate change.

The Geneva Rights and Climate Talks aim to harness the opportunity of this moment of the year to reflect on the challenges posed by the impacts of climate change and the intertwined human rights implications. The talks are also an opportunity to discuss how Geneva contributes to bringing together the actors working towards placing human rights at the heart of climate action. The 2025 edition of the talks tackled the following:

HRC56

Launching the Geneva Rights and Climate Talks, the session underscored the crucial role of environmental defenders in ensuring a safe climate. This event provided an opportunity for the new UN Special Rapporteur on human rights and climate change and the UN Special Rapporteur on environmental defenders of the Aarhus Convention to exchange experiences and perspectives.

Highlights and Key Messages

Links

• Human Rights and the Environment
• Human Rights, Climate Change, and the Role of Geneva