Building on the Legacy of COP21 and delivering the “Spirit of Paris”

The Paris Agreement was a critical milestone in many regards. Firstly, it created a universal framework mobilizing all states to contribute to urgent climate action in a transparent and equitable manner. Secondly, the Paris Agreement stressed the importance for climate action to build on the Parties’ existing human rights, social and environmental obligations, including those related to indigenous peoples’ rights, gender equality, public participation, ecosystem integrity and the protection of biodiversity, intergenerational equity, food security, and the importance of ensuring a just transition.

COP24 will take place as the United Nations celebrates the 70 anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. Building on the Paris Agreement legacy and inviting Parties to consider good practices related to the incorporation of human rights in climate action will demonstrate that governments remain fully committed to this cornerstone of the UN.

As negotiators here in Bangkok work to define guidelines for climate action, they should also ensure that these social and environmental principles are fully integrated into the rulebook. Only then can the guidelines really deliver the full “Spirit of Paris.”

What Parties – including many of you – crafted in Paris, should not be undermined in Bangkok and Katowice. We know we can count on you not to let this happen.