A/HRC/43/3 120. In the statement of the High Commissioner to the Human Rights Council in September, she highlighted climate change as an unprecedented threat to human rights that demands immediate action. Those most affected by climate change already endure multiple forms of discrimination – because of their gender; because of their economic status; because they are members of indigenous peoples or minorities; because they are migrants or internally displaced; because of their age; or because they are persons with disabilities. 121. Climate change discriminates on the basis of geography. Entire nations may sink beneath rising tides, while droughts, floods and worse strike others; whole ecosystems and ways of being may cease to exist. 122. The full and informed participation of all members of affected communities is essential to the design and implementation of all climate measures. The heighted risk exposure of women and girls to climate and environmental harms is exacerbated by their exclusion from participating in decisions, and the online and real-life suppression of their voices. It is essential that their rights to raise their voices and effectively share in decision-making be protected and upheld. 123. Human rights principles, and human rights law, can inform and strengthen international, regional and national policymaking in the area of climate change. Rights-based climate action can promote policies that increase our resilience and ability to adapt to climate harms; policies that protect the most vulnerable communities; and policies that enable us to benefit from the skills and ideas of every member of society. 124. Women need to be empowered, as economic and climate actors, and as workers and employers, to help shape a just transition to a low-carbon economy. Climate funds need to systematically integrate women’s equality, and benefit the countries and people most affected by climate change. 125. Indigenous peoples, although among those most deeply harmed, through their ancestral knowledge and leadership they may be able to assist in developing the best climate policies. Traditional fire management; early warning weather systems; rainwater harvesting; traditional agriculture techniques; and coastal marine management are examples of their potential contributions. 126. We need to effectively address climate threats with internationally coordinated responses that are based on equity, and a just transition to more sustainable economic structures. To prevent the steadily worsening impacts of climate change on human rights, we need incentives, regulations, and laws to protect our human rights, including the right to a healthy environment. We need to implement massive energy efficiency and conservation practices, and root out the discrimination that exposes people and communities to climate harms. States need to strengthen their mitigation commitments and nationally determined contributions. Existing State commitments also require international cooperation, including financial, technological and capacitybuilding support, to achieve low-carbon, climate-resilient, and sustainable development, while also reducing greenhouse gas emissions. We need to implement the principle of intergenerational equity that the Paris Agreement explicitly lays out. 127. OHCHR stands ready to support States and civil society to do more to protect the rights of those most affected by the climate crisis, and to prevent the climate crisis from worsening. 17