SC Statement at HRC62 – Climate Change, 19 June 2026

Statement by South Centre

Annual panel discussion on the adverse impacts of climate change on human rights

62^nd Session of the Human Rights Council

Geneva, 19 June 2026

During the Annual panel discussion on the adverse impacts of climate change on human rights at the 62nd session of the Human Rights Council, the South Centre delivered a statement.

Climate action must be anchored in the principle of Common but Differentiated Responsibilities and Respective Capabilities (CBDR-RC) and supported by adequate, predictable, and accessible finance. The statement outlines four actionable pathways:

• Grant-Based Public Finance: Advanced economies must provide new grant-based public finance rather than relying on profit-driven private-sector solutions.
• Binding Climate Reparations: Following the International Court of Justice’s advisory opinion, providing climate reparations is a binding legal obligation. The Loss and Damage Fund must recognise historical emissions and be funded.
• Dismantling Barriers: We must address intellectual property monopolies blocking technology transfer, Investor-State Dispute Settlement mechanisms penalising climate regulations, and Unilateral Coercive Measures crippling domestic resilience.
• Right to Development: Climate finance must facilitate the Right to Development. It must not be weaponised by restrictive conditionalities that block vulnerable communities from accessing funds.

Realising human rights demands climate justice, requiring equitable, accessible, and rights-based finance to repair historical harms.

Download the statement:

Statement by South Centre – Annual panel discussion on the adverse impacts of climate change on human rights, 62nd Session of the Human Rights Council