A/HRC/12/WG.2/TF/2 page 11 background on the clean development mechanism and the key principle of common but differentiated responsibilities among its parties. 40. Noting that there was a strong human rights dimension in climate change issues in general, Mr. Schrijver referred to the Convention on the Rights of the Child and the instruments on climate change, which make frequent reference to the rights of future generations and the studies conducted by OHCHR and several research institutes on the human rights dimensions of climate change. He suggested that the task force consider what contribution it could make to relevant forums in this regard, including the upcoming Climate Change Conference to be held in Copenhagen. 41. UNESCO argued for consideration of the ethical questions involved in technology transfer, such as those arising in relation to the transfer of polluting technologies to developing countries. 42. UNCTAD noted a close connection between the mechanism, climate change and the right to development. Small island States, such as Maldives and Vanuatu, may be less patient in discussing this as the sea levels were rising and climate patterns were changing visibly. Their right to exist was at stake. At the United Nations Climate Change Conference in Bali, the Prime Minister of Papua New Guinea emphasized the right to exist and the right to development. UNCTAD also noted that there were no criteria in the mechanism to ensure that investment benefitted a given group in society, but there was a focus on how much reduction a country could achieve, for which it was compensated with carbon credits. 43. Noting that the mechanism was largely about investment from the private sector, Ms. Solomon referred to the traditional weakness of international human rights law in regulating the private sector. Unless the human rights dimension was considered, the kind of problems traditionally seen in private sector investments in developing countries, which are inadequately regulated by host or home States risk being replicated. Concerning mechanism mitigation objectives, measuring success from reducing emissions did not reflect the other effects and external factors, for example on human rights and displacement. There seemed to be tension between climate change and human rights, and climate change mitigation strategies, for example in the case of building a dam intended to address clean energy needs, which at the same time involved major concerns about the displacement of indigenous peoples and the degradation of the local environment. 6. Multilateral Debt Relief Initiative and Heavily Indebted Poor Countries Initiative of the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund 44. Participating via video conference, the World Bank reiterated its support for the continued work on the right to development criteria, including work on quantitative and qualitative assessment. While the World Bank had no formal position on the right to development itself, which it considered not formally binding, synergies could be identified between a number of right to development criteria and World Bank activities related to human rights, including (a) work on human rights and climate change; (b) continued work on human rights indicators; (c) work in the International Finance Corporation and the human rights impact assessment tool; (d) continued engagement as a member of the human rights task team of the OECD-Development