Madam President,
I am speaking on behalf of a group of organizations. [1]
We welcome the OHCHR analytical study. As other analytical studies demonstrated, this report stresses the very immediate adverse climate impacts on a segment of the population that is already exposed to marginalization and discrimination: older persons in situations of vulnerability.
The report also highlights how these impacts on the elderly are further exacerbated by other forms of atmospheric pollution. We know these are mainly caused by our dependency on fossil fuels.
As older persons concerned, we want to be protected but at the same time we demand to be key actors, in solidarity with younger generations and call upon the Council to take urgent bold and urgent measures to tackle this issue.
The Human Rights Council and the OHCHR have played an important role to further the understanding of how climate affects specific groups. The urgency and scale of the climate crisis, nevertheless, require that the Council devote more attention to the many facets of the intersection between climate and human rights.
This year’s analytical study highlights the broad range of actions needed to fulfill the rights of older people in the context of climate change. In this context, we urge States to establish a new Special Rapporteur on human rights and climate change at this session of the Council. This call has been reiterated by more than 400 civil society and Indigenous Peoples’ organizations in a recent open letter.
Thank you.