Sponsored by Climate Vulnerable Forum members Bangladesh and Philippines, together with all other Climate Vulnerable Forum members and a total of over 110 countries co-sponsoring, including the African Group and the Organisation of the Islamic Conference, the UN Human Rights Council unanimously adopted a new resolution today on human rights and climate change.
Introducing the resolution as a question “none other than a matter of survival” the Ambassador of Bangladesh to the United Nations at Geneva, H.E. Mr. M. Shameem Ahsan, said “the timeliness of this resolution cannot but be stressed as the world witnesses growing climatic vulnerabilities while working on developing a robust, legally-binding outcome this December in Paris,” adding “We are grateful to the different delegations for their positive outlook and willingness and also for joining us in consensus. To you all, this is a support you are lending to millions of people who are in vulnerable situations due to climate change.”
Tensions in the South China Sea increased last April when a Chinese coast guard ship sank a Vietnamese fishing boat near the Paracel Islands—a fiercely disputed territory in the South China Sea. Disputes over island territories in the region have endured for decades, with China, Vietnam, the Philippines, Taiwan, Indonesia, Malaysia, and Brunei all making overlapping territorial claims. The region is rich in natural resources and biodiversity, holding vast fish stocks and an estimated 11 billion barrels of oil and 190 cubic feet of natural gas.
Without a coordinated strategy to tackle flooding disasters beyond the traditional infrastructural measures and river water sharing agreements, South Asia’s woes will continue in the future.
With Argentina's ‘yes’, the Escazú Agreement is one step away from coming into force. What’s its status in each country?
As political and public narratives on COVID-19 shift towards the need to ‘build back better’, the pandemic continues to take a heavy toll for many. A new report by the Climate Security Expert Network (CSEN) shows how COVID-19 can exacerbate climate-related security risks.