MRG calls on member-states to address the intersectional human rights impacts of climate change as part of their work to ensure inclusive mitigation
This statement was delivered at the Human Rights Council – 52nd Session by Mays Al-Juboori, Senior Middle East Officer at Minority Rights Group International, at the occasion of the general debate under item 3 (about the impact of climate change on vulnerable groups) on 17 March 2023.
Chair,
Minority Rights Group takes this opportunity to make some remarks concerning the recent report on climate change and people in vulnerable situations.
We would like to echo the High Commissioner’s comments in emphasising the role of discrimination in increasing people’s exposure to climate related rights violations. This is particularly true for minorities and indigenous peoples, amongst other marginalised groups.
Minority communities such as Roma in Europe experience increased exposure to pollution and are regularly denied basic services such as water and sanitation. Roma informal settlements are vulnerable to adverse climate impacts such as flooding and mudslides, in a pattern also faced by minorities elsewhere who are forced to live precariously due to the discrimination they face.
We would also like to bring attention to the emerging phenomenon of ‘environcide’ in which environmental infrastructure is being destroyed or rendered inaccessible through violence. In Iraq, environmental infrastructure in neglected minority territories such as Daquq has been repeatedly targeted by armed groups seeking to destabilize these areas and their communities. Given that such infrastructure is vital for communities to adapt to the adverse impacts of climate change, environcide represents yet another factor rendering marginalised communities particularly vulnerable.
We call on member-states to continue to address the intersectional human rights impacts of climate change as part of their work to ensure inclusive mitigation and adaptation strategies that reach the most marginalised groups.
I thank you
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Photo: Screenshot from advocacy statement video