A/HRC/37/35 59. Climate change and migration policies and programmes should meet the different needs of vulnerable groups, taking into account the protection of all people, without any discrimination on the grounds of migration status or nationality. This required the recognition of and a commitment to include in migration-related decision-making processes all sectors of society, and particularly those disproportionately affected by climate change, such as persons living in coastal areas, indigenous peoples, minorities, older persons, women and girls, children, and persons with disabilities. Both global compacts under negotiation should guarantee the protection and empowerment of women. It was also critical that persons disproportionately affected by climate change were educated on access to their rights. Education should be part of the core strategy to enable communities to deal with the impact of climate change and related migration. 60. Protection gaps in human rights required better research and analysis, particularly in relation to the enjoyment of rights adversely affected by climate change, such as the rights to food, water, housing, health, decent work and cultural heritage. Being a migrant should not hinder access to services, protection measures or humanitarian assistance in the event of natural disasters. Speakers called for specific measures to protect persons at risk of the harm caused by climate change, to promote adaptation to climate change and to establish durable legal status for all those forced to move because of the adverse effects of climate change. There was a need for enhanced coordination of international protection measures. 61. There was also a need to clarify and strengthen international environmental law. All migrants were entitled to the effective enjoyment of their human rights regardless of their migratory status; the human rights framework should therefore guide the work of relevant bodies established under the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, including in relation to finance, adaptation and mitigation measures. Human rights mechanisms, including the treaty bodies, should support States in relation to the human rights obligations applicable to climate change, including in the context of extreme weather events and slow-onset processes. 11

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