HRC 51 - EU Intervention: Panel discussion on the right to work in connection with climate change actions

Thank you Ms Vice-President,

We would like to thank today’s panelists for their presentations.

The European Union is a global leader in the fight against climate change. In December 2019, we launched a European Green Deal to transition to a fairer, healthier and more prosperous society, whilst guaranteeing a healthy planet for future generations.

At the same time, we strive for environmental policies and actions that have human rights at their center and we keep advocating for human rights-based climate action.

The adverse impact of climate change on the full and effective enjoyment of human rights, including on the enjoyment of the right to work, disproportionately affects women and girls, youth and older persons, Indigenous Peoples, persons with disabilities, those living in conflict areas and those in the most vulnerable situations.

Rising temperatures and heat waves threaten the workplace safety of outdoor- or even indoor- workers.  Occupational safety and health in a changing world of work is among the EU priorities and the 10th principle of the European Pillar of Social Rights calls for healthy, safe and well-adapted work environment for all.

At the same time, workers in agriculture and forestry are highly exposed to the impact of rising global temperatures. Changing rainfall patterns and extreme weather events disrupt farming cycles and seriously affect the income of farmers and their families. The Common Agricultural Policy and the European Green Deal's Just Transition Mechanism sets out to ensure that farmers can adapt to climate uncertainty and mitigate climate change.

The right to work and climate change are inextricably interconnected. Combating climate change and environmental degradation contributes to ensuring a healthier world where we can all work safely and with dignity.

Thank you.