MEDIA ADVISORY
November 29 – December 14, 2019
MADRID, SPAIN – CIEL experts will be in Madrid and available for comment during the 25th Conference of the Parties to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (COP25) from December 1-14. Originally scheduled to take place in Santiago, Chile, and cancelled just five weeks before the conference was set to begin by the Chilean government due to “social unrest,” COP25 negotiations face a real risk of appearing disconnected from the realities faced by communities and people. Not only has the change of venue limited the participation of individuals and groups from the Global South, but critical issues, such as climate urgency and the need for greater ambition, also do not appear on the formal agenda of the conference.
CIEL experts will be closely following the negotiations, advocating that parties unequivocally recognize the urgency for governments to increase ambition and the need to adequately support communities and countries dealing with the most severe impacts of climate change, and reach a set of decisions that place human rights, the rights of Indigenous Peoples, gender equality, and healthy ecosystems at the core of climate responses. Worldwide, communities are already facing the devastating impacts of 1ºC of warming, and the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) estimates there are only eleven years remaining to reach net-zero emissions or face catastrophic climate impacts. To be responsive to these impacts, this urgency, and the millions of people around the world demanding that governments act on climate, governments must take ambitious, rights-based action in Madrid.
CIEL Experts:
- Sébastien Duyck — CIEL Senior Attorney specializing in the intersection between human rights and climate change, including the integration of human rights and participatory planning in national climate commitments: sduyck@ciel.org
- Erika Lennon — CIEL Senior Attorney specializing in Article 6, Paris Implementation Guidelines, Green Climate Fund, social and environmental safeguards, and redress mechanisms: elennon@ciel.org
- Sarah Dorman — Representing CIEL’s People, Land & Resources Program, with a focus on the laws and policies that protect human rights and the environment in the context of international development projects, including the CDM-registered Alto Maipo project in Chile: sdorman@ciel.org
- Carroll Muffett — CIEL President focusing on the climate impacts of plastic, geoengineering, climate litigation, and phasing out oil and gas: cmuffett@ciel.org
- Jolein Holtz — CIEL Fellow coordinating the Human Rights & Climate Change Working Group: jholtz@ciel.org
- Marcela Mella – Community leader with the Coordinadora Ciudadana No Alto Maipo (Citizen Coordinator “No Alto Maipo” / CCNAM), which plays a fundamental role in coordinating the responses of the affected communities in opposition to Chile’s Alto Maipo hydroelectric project and its many negative social and environmental impacts: Cuentaccrm@gmail.com (Spanish only)
- Juan Pablo Orrego – President of Ecosistemas, specializing in environmental protection with a dual focus on promoting environmental education for action and on defending basins, rivers, and communities in the face of large hydroelectric projects, including by supporting the Chilean “No Alto Maipo” movement in domestic and international initiatives in opposition to the destructive Alto Maipo hydroelectric project: jp.orrego@ecosistemas.cl
To schedule an interview, please contact: Amanda Kistler, Communications & Development Director at CIEL: akistler@ciel.org
CIEL Priority Issues at COP25:
Article 6:
Governments are expected to negotiate the remaining elements of the Paris Agreement’s implementation guidelines by establishing the rules under which countries can use cooperative approaches to reduce emissions. These mechanisms established under Article 6 of the Paris Agreement build upon and expand on the Kyoto Protocol’s carbon trading mechanisms. To avoid repeating the mistakes made under Kyoto, governments must oppose any decision in Madrid that would enable carbon trading to shift the burden away from polluters or that would allow climate-destructive industries to continue their business as usual. Rather, cooperation under Article 6 must prevent loopholes and establish robust social and environmental safeguards, requirements for stakeholder consultations, and independent grievance mechanisms.
In Madrid, CIEL will be coordinating closely with representatives of the Coordinadora Ciudadana No Alto Maipo (CCNAM) and Ecosistemas, Chilean organizations dedicated to protecting the Maipo River Basin from the threats of the Alto Maipo hydroelectric project that is registered under the Kyoto Protocol’s Clean Development Mechanism (CDM). Marcela Mella of CCNAM and Juan Pablo Orrego will be speaking about the many negative social and environmental impacts that their communities have experienced firsthand as a result of this CDM-registered project, thus highlighting the importance of strong social and environmental safeguards, consultation, and access to redress, with the goal of ensuring the CDM replacement learns from its past mistakes.
Ambition and Nationally Determined Contributions:
COP must leverage the momentum of worldwide mobilizations demanding ambitious climate action to call on governments to enhance and update their nationally determined contributions (NDCs) in line with the objectives and principles of the Paris Agreement and guided by the recent IPCC reports. These domestic planning processes must be transparent and inclusive, enabling the full and effective participation of civil society and Indigenous Peoples. In addition, these planning processes should explore synergies with other environmental commitments, such as the restoration of ecosystems. Today, only months prior to the deadline for the submission of updated and enhanced national commitments,, only a few governments have signaled that they would heed the call for ambitious climate action with commitments that will bridge the gap between the status quo and a safer climate.
Loss and Damage:
In the overwhelming majority of instances, climate impacts contribute to climate injustices; the communities hit most severely by these impacts have not only contributed the least to the climate crisis, but are also among those with the fewest resources to deal with its effects. COP25 is tasked with reviewing the mandate of the Warsaw International Mechanism on Loss and Damage (WIM) to enhance action and support for the countries suffering from climate impacts. Governments gathering in Madrid must stop wasting time. They must recognize that the most vulnerable States need adequate support in order to address loss and damage and enable the WIM to mobilize the resources necessary to provide that support.
Human-Rights-Based Climate Action:
COP25 is also expected to make progress on incorporating greater recognition of the human and social dimensions of climate change. For example, the review of the Lima Work Programme on Gender and its Action Plan offers the opportunity to develop an ambitious work plan that strengthens its focus on capacity building in priority areas, as well as strengthens linkages to a just transition and the implementation of Agenda 2030. Parties are also expected to endorse the first program of work adopted by the newly established Local Communities and Indigenous Peoples Platform. In addition, CIEL will be advocating that Parties avoid the trap of prioritizing nature-based solutions over the rights of local communities, and instead prioritize the restoration of natural and biodiversity-rich ecosystems.
Forthcoming Materials to Be Released at COP25:
- Rights in a Changing Climate: Human Rights Under the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change: This report provides an overview on the evolution of how human rights have been integrated in UNFCCC decisions and policies.
- Blueprint for the integration of human rights in climate commitments (jointly with the UN Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights): This report will officially be released in January 2020, after COP25.
- The Rights of Persons with Disabilities in the Context of the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change: This report compiles States’ commitments under the UNFCCC related to the rights of persons with disabilities in the context of climate change.
- Briefing Note on Human Rights at COP25: This briefing note will provide an overview of issues being discussed at COP25 and entry points for human rights and related principles.
- Briefing Note on Public Participation in Climate Policies: This briefing note will look at entry points at COP25 to promote public participation in climate policies.
- Briefing Note on Article 6 and Human Rights: This briefing note provides an overview of the importance of ensuring social and environmental safeguards, stakeholder participation, and independent grievance redress in the rules for the Article 6 mechanisms.
- Alto Maipo Information Document: This document will provide an overview of the situation of the Alto Maipo hydroelectric project in Chile and its impacts on the people in the Cajon del Maipo.
- Background Note on UNFCCC and Human Rights 101: This document will provide an introduction to the UNFCCC processes and developments related to human rights, as well as identify opportunities for engagement at the UNFCCC to promote the integration of human rights and human rights principles.
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