A/HRC/29/19 Pakistan, Paraguay, the Philippines (on behalf of Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Barbados, Bhutan, Ethiopia, Ghana, Kenya, Kiribati, Madagascar, Maldives, Nepal, Rwanda, Saint Lucia, Timor-Leste, Tuvalu, the United Republic of Tanzania, Vanuatu and Viet Nam), Sierra Leone, Spain, Sweden (on behalf of Denmark, Finland, Iceland and Norway), Switzerland, the United States of America, Venezuela (Bolivarian Republic of) and Viet Nam. Representatives of the United Nations Children’s Fund, the United Nations Population Fund and the European Union also participated in the discussion. 35. Representatives of the Scottish Human Rights Commission and the following nongovernmental organizations spoke: Centre Europe – Tiers Monde – Europe – Third World Centre, Franciscans International (on behalf of 13 like-minded organizations), International Youth and Student Movement for the United Nations, Lutheran World Federation (also on behalf of ACT Alliance) and Verein Südwind Entwicklungspolitik. 36. Statements by the following States were not delivered owing to lack of time: Algeria, Bahrain, Bhutan, Brazil, China, Egypt, Madagascar, Mauritius, New Zealand, Panama, Peru, Portugal, Qatar, Slovenia, South Africa, the Sudan and Uruguay. For the same reason, statements by the International Development Law Organization, the International Organization for Migration and the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) were not delivered. 37. Delegations emphasized the need for urgent action to prevent, mitigate and adapt to climate change, which was described as an immutable fact that required immediate action, illustrated the growing interdependence of all peoples and States and posed an imminent threat to the environment, development and security. Delegations agreed that the upcoming negotiations in Paris were the best vehicle for reaching a universal, legally binding agreement on climate change. They agreed that 2015 presented another crucial opportunity to address climate change through the post-2015 development agenda and related processes as sustainable development was of critical importance. Stressing the need for drastic measures to promote sustainability, one delegation called for a shift from market-based systems to a life in harmony with Mother Earth. 38. All delegations concurred that human rights and climate change were interlinked and that the human rights dimension should be included in the Paris discussions. Several delegations cited their commitment to the Geneva Pledge as a positive step in that direction. One delegation emphasized that any new agreement in Paris should not override the human rights commitments made in the Cancun Agreements. However, another delegation cautioned that discussion of climate change by the Human Rights Council and of human rights at the 2015 Paris Conference of the Parties should not hinder climate negotiations. 39. Delegations agreed that climate change would continue to have an impact on many human rights. Several delegations described actual and anticipated impacts in their countries as well as their efforts to address those impacts. Delegations agreed that it was important to put a human face on climate impacts and to address climate-related migration. Delegations called for mitigation and adaptation efforts to place people at the centre, be gender sensitive and ensure the rights of the most vulnerable, including women, children, indigenous peoples and the poor. 40. Delegations reiterated that the poorest countries and the most vulnerable people had contributed the least to climate change yet were likely to suffer its worst impacts. This was particularly true of children and future generations and was a matter of justice and fairness. They called for recognition of the historical responsibility of the largest contributors to climate change through the application of the principle of common but differentiated responsibilities in efforts to address it. Research and development, technology transfer, capacity-building, development assistance, innovative finance and clean development mechanisms were critical to those efforts. 9