Organisers: The Norwegian National Human Rights Institution, the Sámi Parliament of Norway, the Permanent Mission of Norway to the UN and Indigenous Peoples Organisation Australia.
Join us for a side-event on the question: Can Human Rights Protect Indigenous Peoples from Climate Harm? With experiences from the North and South, during the UN Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues (UNPFII) 22nd Session. The event will begin with a presentation from the Norwegian National Human Rights Institution on States’ human rights obligations regarding climate change and Indigenous peoples and how these apply in a Sámi context, followed by a panel discussion. The event will be held in English and lunch will be served.
Program
13:15 Welcome from the Moderator
- Johan Strömgren, Head of Regional Office in Kautokeino, Norwegian National Human Rights Institution.
13:20 Opening Remarks
- Silje Karine Muotka, President of the Sámi Parliament of Norway.
- Nancy Porsanger Anti, State Secretary to the Norwegian Minister of Local Government and Regional Development.
13:35 Presentation – Climate Change and Indigenous Peoples’ Rights in a Sámi context
- Peter Dawson, Senior Advisor, Norwegian National Human Rights Institution.
13:50 Panel Discussion:
- Silje Karine Muotka, President of the Sámi Parliament of Norway.
- Gunn-Britt Retter, Head of the Arctic and Environment Unit at the Sámi Council.
- Joan Carling, Executive Director of Indigenous Peoples Rights International.
- Francisco Calí Tzay, UN Special Rapporteur on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples.
- Daniel Billy, Warraberalgal man, Torres Strait 8 claimant – Our Islands, Our Home campaign
14:30 Questions and Comments
- From the audience to the panel.
14:40 Closing Remarks
- Adele Matheson Mestad, Director of the Norwegian National Human Rights Institution.
Background Information
According to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), any further delay in reducing greenhouse gas emissions will miss a brief and rapidly closing window of opportunity to secure a liveable future for all. Already at the current level of 1.2°C of warming, climate change has caused widespread adverse impacts to nature and people, which are projected to increase exponentially if warming exceeds the critical 1.5°C limit in the Paris Agreement. Under current policy trajectories, the remaining global carbon budget to limit warming to 1.5°C is likely to be exhausted within eight years.
Climate change affects all regions and populations in different ways, but certain vulnerable groups are disproportionately impacted, including women, children, older people, people with disabilities as well as Indigenous peoples. Indigenous peoples have a long history of living in harmony with the natural environment and have contributed little to climate change, yet they are among the first to suffer from the direct and immediate effects of escalating global warming. This is because Indigenous peoples often already face structural inequalities and depend on climate-sensitive ecosystems for their basic needs and for the continued survival of their cultures, languages and livelihoods.
For the Sámi people in Norway, climate change is adding to the negative impacts of historical discrimination and assimilation policies, and the accumulated effects of various infrastructural, commercial and industrial developments in traditional Sámi areas. The Sámi people’s traditional cultural practices and ways of life, including reindeer husbandry, hunting and fishing, are particularly at risk from higher temperatures and precipitation, changes in snow cover, extreme weather events and changes in biodiversity.
For Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people in Australia, climate change is increasing the frequency and intensity of extreme weather events such as heatwaves, bushfires, droughts, cyclones and floods, as well as sea level rise which is particularly concerning for low-lying island and coastal communities. This is compounding existing health inequalities and disrupting cultural and spiritual connections to Country that are central to health and wellbeing.
According to Article 27 of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR), States have an obligation to not deny Indigenous peoples’ cultures and traditional ways of life. In addition, Article 17 of the ICCPR provides that no one shall be subjected to unlawful interference with their rights to physical and psychological integrity and home. Climate change poses an existential threat to many Indigenous peoples’ cultures and traditional ways of life and exacerbates existing health inequalities.
In September 2022, the UN Human Rights Committee, which interprets the ICCPR, published a landmark decision concerning the impacts of climate change for the Torres Strait Islander people in the case Daniel Billy et al. v. Australia. For the first time, the Committee has elaborated on States’ human rights obligations to protect Indigenous peoples from the effects of climate change to ensure they do not lose their cultures, ways of life and continued existence as distinct peoples.
Measures to mitigate or adapt to climate change and transition to renewable energy must also be consistent with Indigenous peoples’ rights. In October 2021, the Norwegian Supreme Court held that the construction of large-scale windfarms on the Fosen Peninsula violated local Sámi reindeer herders’ rights to enjoy their culture under Article 27 of the ICCPR. To ensure both a safe climate and respect for Indigenous rights, as recognised under international human rights norms, it is necessary to ensure that renewable energy projects are developed in good faith and in consultation and cooperation with Indigenous peoples, through representatives chosen by themselves, with the aim of obtaining their free, prior and informed consent.
As the grave and mounting consequences of climate change become clearer, domestic and international courts are increasingly being asked to define States’ human rights obligations to protect the most vulnerable. These scientific and legal developments have significant implications for Indigenous peoples on the frontlines of the climate crisis. This side event will gather Indigenous and State representatives, human rights lawyers and other key actors from the North and South to discuss whether human rights can protect Indigenous peoples from climate harm. Panellists will reflect on the impacts of climate change and the renewable energy transition in their communities, their experiences with human rights-based climate litigation, as well as opportunities and challenges for the future.
Bookings
Dette arrangementet er fullbooket.