A/HRC/29/19
peoples, pastoralists, small farmers and fishermen, who, paradoxically, had contributed the
least to the phenomenon.
67.
States must take immediate action to respect, protect and fulfil the right to food and
nutrition as required by international law. Climate change was a problem with international
origins and impacts; therefore, it would require an international solution. States must
recognize their extraterritorial obligations, as enunciated in the Maastricht Principles on
Extraterritorial Obligations of States in the Area of Economic, Social and Cultural Rights.
They should use their political influence to promote an enabling environment for the
enjoyment of the right to food and other rights, including by cooperating to slow climate
change and mitigate its impacts. They must act to ensure the accountability of non-State
actors for their actions.
68.
Ms. Suarez Franco stressed the need to provide children with nutritious food, not
just in infancy but also through later years, while simultaneously addressing the structural
causes of hunger, including climate change, to ensure the health and nutrition of future
generations. She said that ecological production of food would mitigate climate change,
boost the earnings of rural residents and increase the availability of food. She called upon
States to adopt policies that supported ecological food production by peasants, indigenous
peoples, fishermen and pastoralists and to respect their relationship with Mother Nature.
Clean development mechanisms must respect human rights, and States must ensure that
efforts to address climate change do not negatively affect their enjoyment.
B.
Interactive discussion
69.
During the plenary discussion, representatives of the following States spoke:
Algeria, Bhutan, Bolivia (Plurinational State of), Brazil, China, Cuba, the Democratic
Republic of the Congo, Egypt, Fiji, Gabon, Ireland, Maldives, Nigeria, Peru, Portugal,
Qatar, Slovenia, South Africa, the Sudan and Uruguay. The European Union, the
International Development Law Organization, the International Organization for Migration
and UNEP also spoke, as did a representative of the non-governmental organization Action
Canada for Population and Development. Delegations called for urgent action to address
the impacts of climate change on human rights, especially the right to food. They
elaborated on specific threats to food security in their countries, including salinization of
arable land and irrigation water. In sharing national efforts to address these threats,
delegations highlighted the need for heightened efforts at the international level, including
through development assistance, technology transfer, capacity-building and the adoption of
a universal, legally binding agreement under the United Nations Framework Convention on
Climate Change. The Paris Agreement should integrate human rights, and cooperation
between the Human Rights Council, the secretariat of the Convention and their respective
constituencies must be enhanced, including through stronger and broader participation of
States in the Geneva Pledge.
70.
Several delegations supported the common but differentiated responsibilities
principle and individual and collective action to promote mitigation and adaptation. Some
focused on respect for Mother Earth, a shift to sustainable production and consumption, and
realizing the right to development. Delegations stressed the need to protect the rights of
women and indigenous peoples and to recognize the contribution of their knowledge to
adaptation strategies, enhanced enjoyment of the right to food and promotion of sustainable
livelihoods. Delegations called for State commitments to ensure adequate funding for the
Green Climate Change Fund for disaster adaptation and mitigation to be fulfilled. They
highlighted the importance of integrating human rights in climate policy, including
participation, access to information and access to justice. Delegations sought information
about good practices in promoting human rights-based approaches to climate policy,
particularly relating to the right to food.
15
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