A/HRC/29/19 III. Summary of the first panel discussion 13. Opening the panel as moderator, Mr. Khor asserted that climate change must be considered as a package that included the environment, development and equity. Climate change, development and human rights should be addressed in an equitable and integrated manner. A human rights-based approach demands the inclusion of climate justice, as well as international cooperation and solidarity, all of which are essential in supporting developing countries, including through finance and technology. Such coordination and cooperation at the global level should be based on solidarity, equity, justice and respect for human rights. A. Contributions of panellists 14. Relating the story of his island nation’s struggle for survival, the President of Kiribati, Mr. Tong, said that it was time for everyone to listen and to act. He said that 2015 would be a critical turning point in human existence, when solidarity and a revitalized approach to multilateralism would become essential. He said that human rights considerations must be reflected in climate change discussions and that the actions of the international community would determine whether or not the generations to come have a future. He said it was time to move forward from abstract discussions, as the real human impacts were being felt in countries like Kiribati. 15. Mr. Tong said that climate change was the biggest moral challenge facing humankind. It threatened the very survival of peoples and nations. It was a global problem demanding global leadership. To spur action, the human face of climate change must be understood. The previous week, Kiribati had recorded its highest tides, which caused substantial damage to a hospital and a road construction project. In countries on the front line, immediate action to prevent, mitigate and adapt to climate change was essential. Despite this, he said, Kiribati would continue to gradually fall victim to the rising tides. Mr. Tong asked what the Human Rights Council and others would do about it. 16. Mr. Tong condemned the relative lack of action by the international community in the face of the moral imperative to protect humanity from the ravages of climate change. Recent negotiations had been disappointing, making the 2015 Paris Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change all the more critical. He called upon all States to sign the Geneva Pledge and to ensure that the outcome of the upcoming negotiations protected human rights. 17. Mr. Tong emphasized that the threat climate change posed to Kiribati was real, and demanded immediate action. He said that the Government had taken steps to protect its people and plan for the future. It had bought land in Fiji and aimed to prepare its people so they could migrate with dignity. However, he said, Kiribati could not address the problem or protect its people alone. Therefore, the President urgently appealed for assistance from the international community and for an immediate call to action from the Council as the voice of the vulnerable and the moral authority of the international community. 18. The Minister for Foreign Affairs of Bangladesh, Abul Hassan Mahmood Ali, described climate change as one of the greatest challenges ever faced. He emphasized the need for a transformative shift and a robust, legally binding outcome at the 2015 Paris Conference of the Parties. This outcome should recognize that small island developing States, the least developed countries and African nations faced unique threats from climate change and had special needs. He said that, although slow-onset climate-induced disasters like river erosion, desertification and salinity intrusion did not make headlines, they affected peoples’ lives and could lead to internal displacement and transnational migration. 5