A/HRC/37/30
2.
Paris Agreement on Climate Change
23.
The concept of resilience has gained increased prominence in the intergovernmental
discussions on climate change since 2010. The Paris Agreement on Climate Change,
adopted in 2015 at the twenty-first annual Conference of the Parties to the United Nations
Framework Convention on Climate Change, refers to resilience in several areas related to
building adaptive capacity and reducing vulnerabilities to the adverse effects of climate
change. For example, article 7 stipulates that “Parties hereby establish the global goal on
adaptation of enhancing adaptive capacity, strengthening resilience and reducing
vulnerability to climate change”.
3.
Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction 2015–2030
24.
Building on the achievements and lessons from the Hyogo Framework for Action
2005–2015: Building the Resilience of Nations and Communities to Disasters, at the World
Conference on Disaster Risk Reduction, held in Sendai, Japan, in March 2015, Member
States adopted the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction 2015–2030. As in its
predecessor, the concept of resilience remains a central theme in the Sendai Framework. In
the preamble, Member States committed to addressing disaster reduction and the building
of resilience to disasters with a renewed sense of urgency within the context of sustainable
development and poverty eradication, to integrating both disaster risk reduction and the
building of resilience into policies, plans, programmes and budgets at all levels and to
considering both within relevant frameworks. Among its global targets and priorities for
action, the Sendai Framework includes a commitment to substantially reducing disaster
damage to critical infrastructure and disruption of basic services, among them health and
educational facilities, including developing their resilience by 2030.
4.
World Humanitarian Summit
25.
The World Humanitarian Summit was held in Istanbul on 23–24 May 2016 at the
initiative of the Secretary-General, in order to reinvigorate a commitment to humanity and
to initiate a set of concrete actions and commitments aimed at enabling countries and
communities to better prepare for and respond to crises and be resilient to shocks. As stated
in the Chair’s summary, the Summit was a unique opportunity for the global community to
take responsibility to place people first: to secure their safety, to uphold their dignity and to
provide opportunity for a better future. The concept of resilience permeated the Agenda for
Humanity presented by the Secretary-General to the Summit (A/70/709, annex) and
throughout the extensive consultations in the lead-up to the Summit. It was included in
three of the five core responsibilities developed in the agenda: core responsibility 3 on
leaving no one behind focuses on reducing the vulnerability and increasing the self-reliance
of refugees and internally displaced persons; core responsibility 4 on changing people’s
lives from delivering aid to ending need emphasizes the importance of building
community-level resilience to respond to natural disasters and the impacts of climate
change; and core responsibility 5 on investing in humanity underscores the need to
strengthen preparedness and economic resilience and invest in basic infrastructure such as
education and health systems.
B.
International human rights framework
26.
Human rights are universal legal guarantees protecting individuals and groups
against actions and omissions that interfere with fundamental freedoms, entitlements and
human dignity. As universal and inalienable rights, human rights are applicable everywhere
and under any circumstances, including in times of crisis and disaster. All States have
positive human rights obligations to respect, protect and fulfil human rights.
27.
International human rights treaties do not include specific reference to resilience as
such. Limited references to natural disasters can be found in article 11 of the Convention on
the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, which stipulates that States parties should take all
necessary measures to ensure the protection and safety of persons with disabilities in
situations of risk, including situations of armed conflict, humanitarian emergencies and the
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