First visit by UN human rights expert on climate change

GENEVA (29 August 2022) – UN Special Rapporteur on the promotion and protection of human rights in the context of climate change, Ian Fry, will visit Bangladesh from 4 to 15 September 2022.

This is the first official visit by the UN expert since he took office on 1 May 2022.

During the visit, the UN expert will assess how the adverse impact of climate change affects human rights of communities in vulnerable situations. The Special Rapporteur will focus on loss and damage incurred due to climate change and extreme weather.

“The impacts of climate change continue to take a huge economic and social toll on the people of Bangladesh. Studies indicate that globally, costs related to loss and damage from climate change impacts will rise to between $290 billion and $580 billion a year by 2030. The people of Bangladesh are suffering from the greenhouse gas pollution caused by the developed world. It is time the international community stepped up and took responsibility for these impacts,” the UN expert said.

“I will also pay special attention and explore how climate change impacts are forcing people to be displaced from their land and what measures are being taken to address these impacts,” he said.

The UN expert will identify good practices, strategies and policies implemented by the Government of Bangladesh, as the country adapts to climate change and builds resilience to its adverse impacts for the full and effective enjoyment of human rights.

Fry will travel to Dhaka, Khulna, and Sylhet to meet with communities affected by climate change. He will also meet central and local district government officials, and representatives from civil society.

A news conference to share the expert’s preliminary findings will be held in Dhaka on 15 September, at 10:00 local time at the InterContinental Hotel (G, 1 Minto Rd, Dhaka 1000). Access is strictly limited to journalists.

The Special Rapporteur will present a comprehensive report on his visit to the UN Human Rights Council in Geneva in June 2023.

ENDS

Mr. Ian Fry is the first Special Rapporteur on the promotion and protection of human rights in the context of climate change. He was appointed by the Human Rights Council at its 49th session in March 2022 and started his mandate on 1 May 2022. Mr. Fry is an international environmental law and policy expert. His focus has primarily focussed on mitigation policies and loss and damage associated the Paris Agreement, Kyoto Protocol and related instruments. He worked for the Tuvalu government for over 21 years and was appointed as their Ambassador for Climate Change and Environment 2015-2019.

The Special Rapporteurs are part of what is known as the Special Procedures of the Human Rights Council. Special Procedures, the largest body of independent experts in the UN Human Rights system, is the general name of the Council's independent fact-finding and monitoring mechanisms that address either specific country situations or thematic issues in all parts of the world. Special Procedures' experts work on a voluntary basis; they are not UN staff and do not receive a salary for their work. They are independent from any government or organization and serve in their individual capacity.

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