HRC 62 - EU statement - Annual panel discussion on the adverse impacts of climate change on human rights
UNITED NATIONS HUMAN RIGHTS COUNCIL
62nd session
Annual panel discussion on the adverse impacts of climate change on human rights
19 June 2026
EU statement
The EU welcomes today’s dialogue, which advances the Council’s work on the impacts of climate change on the full enjoyment of human rights.
Climate change poses a serious threat to human rights. As affirmed by the ICJ in its Advisory Opinion the adverse effects of climate change -including inter alia, sea-level rise, drought, desertification and natural disasters- can severely impair the enjoyment of human rights, including the rights to life, health, an adequate standard of living, privacy, family and home, while disproportionately affecting women, children and Indigenous Peoples.
The EU therefore strongly supports a human rights-based approach to climate action and stresses that meaningful public participation, engagement and access to information, including for civil society, children and youth and all stakeholders, are key to promoting social justice, inclusiveness and social cohesion in the global transition towards a climate neutral and resilient planet.
The growing frequency and intensity of heatwaves and droughts across Europe remind us that no region is immune to the impacts of climate change. This underscores the urgency of accelerating the transition away from fossil fuels in energy sectors and towards climate-neutral, resilient, nature-positive, and circular and resource efficient economies. This transition must take place at the pace and scale required to keep the 1.5°C within reach. It must also be just and inclusive, promote a human -rights based approach, and ensure that no one is left behind.
As the world’s largest contributor of climate finance, the EU and its Member States remain committed to supporting developing countries and communities that are particularly vulnerable to the adverse effects of climate change, in both mitigation and adaptation efforts. In 2024, EU’s total climate finance contribution amounted to €42.7 billion from public and private funding that was used to support developing countries in combating climate change and adapting to its impacts. In order to tackle the scale of the challenge, finance must be mobilized from a wide variety of sources, including public and private, bilateral and multilateral, including alternative sources of finance.
In this regard, we welcome the New Collective Quantified Goal (NCQG) decision and its call on all actors, in line with evolving responsibilities and capabilities, to work together to scale up financing for climate action from all sources, in particular the mobilization of additional private finance, in developing countries.
To the panelists: What concrete measures have proven most effective in ensuring that increased climate finance reaches the communities most affected by climate change, while also advancing a human rights-based approach?