Hosts: Gwangju Metropolitan City, UNESCO, UN Human Rights, Gwangju Metropolitan City of Education, National Human Rights Commission of Korea. Korea International Cooperation Agency
Organizers: Gwangju International Center, UCLG Committee on Social Inclusion, Participatory Democracy and Human Rights, Raoul Wallenberg Insititute of Human Rights and Humanitarian Law
CONCEPT NOTE
BACKGROUND
Humanity has recently found itself amidst crisis, from the COVID-19 pandemic to the war in Ukraine, in addition to numerous other human rights issues such as socioeconomic polarization and inequality, as well as the digital divide caused by advanced technologies. The crisis caused by climate change, however, is becoming the most widespread universal human rights violation, endangering the very existence of humanity.
The international community has long approached the issue of climate change from a human rights perspective, including the Local Governments Climate Roadmap by UCLG in 2007 and the Paris Agreement (COP 21) in 2015. More specifically, the UN Human Rights Council began to express concern in its 2008 Resolution, stating that climate change “poses an immediate and far-reaching threat to people and communities around the world.[3]” In October 2021, the Human Rights Council recognized for the first time the human right to a clean, healthy and sustainable environment.[4] The 2022 IPCC Sixth Assessment Report assessed that climate change has already brought diverse impacts on human systems, including impacts on water security and food production, health and wellbeing, and cities, settlements and infrastructure.
Climate change poses a grave threat to the stable foundation of all areas of life, with people’s rights worsening through food shortage, poverty, infectious diseases, job insecurity, displacement, and diverse forms of inequality. In this regard, the actions or inactions by decision-makers at the local level exert significant consequences on the human rights of people, and thus we need to devise measures for the protection of human rights at the local level with global level solidarity.
Theme and Approaches
The theme of the 12th World Human Rights Cities Forum is “Climate Crisis and Human Rights,” recognizing climate change as one of the biggest threats to human rights and a sustainable future. We are aware that, just as climate crisis is a problem requiring a global solution, so the human rights issues caused by climate change also call on the whole of humanity to work together in solidarity. In the process of finding implementations of the goal, a human rights-based approach will be at the heart of the forum, while sharing a variety of information and best practices on climate change responses and mobilizing the participation of youth and various stakeholders.
Main Agendas
The 12th World Human Rights Cities Forum will comprehensively discuss climate crisis and human rights at both local and global levels, considering the following four points.
1. What are the major human rights issues linked to climate crisis?
We will identify the correlation between climate crisis and human rights, and diagnose human rights issues in various areas such as the environment, economy, education, culture, and housing, both for current and future generations.
2. Who are more vulnerable to climate crisis?
We will explore ways to locate vulnerable groups suffering more severely than others from climate crisis and seek ways to address diverse forms of discrimination and inequalities occurring in various areas.
3. What are innovative actions to take to counter climate crisis?
In order to achieve a human rights-based transition in the context of climate crisis, we will interpret climate justice from the perspective of human rights and discuss values and practices to realize it.
4. How can we promote international solidarity to cope with climate crisis?
We will find useful ways to share information and practical experience to protect human rights and seek principles and guidelines for cooperation and joint practices at local and global levels.
PROGRAMS
Official Events
Opening Ceremony
Opening Remarks, congratulatory remarks, performance, etc.
Round Table
Climate Change and Human Rights-
Closing Ceremony
Highlight video screening, session reports, Master Class awards, etc.
Plenary Session
Plenary Session 1
A Human Rights-Based Approach to Mitigating and Countering Climate Change – Local Solutions to a Global Problem
Plenary Session2
Climate Justice at the Heart of Inclusive and Sustainable Cities
Thematic Session
Climate Change and Biodiversity
Biodiversity and life in cities
Social Economy
Exploring the social economy models for the protection of vulnerable groups from climate change
LGBTQI
Human Rights of LGBTQI people in the climate crisis and the role of Human Rights Cities
Children and Youth
Youth Direct Action Against Climate Crisis
Women
Impact of the climate crisis on women and policies to respond to the climate crisis from a gender perspective
UN SDGs and Human Rights
Sustainable Development and Global Crisis: From the Perspective of System Transformation
Disability
What is the future of the rights of persons with disabilities in the era of climate change?
Special Session
Road to COP27
Integrating Human Rights into Local Adaptation Planning
Climate Crisis and National Responsibility
The public basic rights infringed by climate crisis
Right to the City
Citizen-led Collective Action for Climate Justice
Local and Regional Governments leveraging Human Rights for People, Planet and Government
Listening human rights priorities from local and regional governments’ perspective
UNESCO Master Class Gwangju Series
Youth Action in Response to Online Discrimination
UNESCO APCAD Inclusive Cities in Practice
Inclusive Cities in Practice
Human Rights Paper Presentation Session
Human rights and local governments
Indonesian Human Rights Cities Session
How Cities can Help Building Climate Change Resilience
Expert Group Workshop for Local Government Guidelines
-
Human Rights in Local DRRM, with Focus on the Built Environment
-
Youth Talk 2.0
Human rights and climate adaptation plans
International Human Rights Policy Session
International Human Rights Policy Session
Network Session
Gwangju Citizen Action Group for Human Rights Workshop
-
Human Rights Activists Workshop
The right to solidarity among regions and generations to overcome climate crisis
UNESCO APCAD Annual Meeting
Networking for inclusive practices
UNESCO ICCAR Global Steering Committee Panel
-
Korean Local Government Human Rights Commission Workshop
Current status and challenges of human rights impact assessment
HR Training Session
Training for Local Actors
Integrating a human rights-based approach into local SDGs policies
Training for Korean Human Rights Education Teachers
programs for preventing exhaustion of ombudsmen
Local Government Ombudsmen Workshop
programs for preventing exhaustion of ombudsmen
Tour & Side Event
Human Rights Dark Tour
-
Human Rights Policy Tour
-
Gwangju Culture & Arts Tour
-
Gwangju UNESCO Tour
-
Gwangju Asia Culture Center Tour
-
Gwangju Citizens’ Human Rights Arts Exhibition
Experiencing Korean culture by trying Hanbok, learning Korean manners, and making traditional handicrafts
Gwangju Human Rights Village Booth
-
PHOTOS
VIDEO
PROGRAM BOOK
You can download the program book by clicking the attached file below.
WORLD HUMAN RIGHTS CITIES FORUM 2022
SUMMARY
CONCEPT NOTE
BACKGROUND
Humanity has recently found itself amidst crisis, from the COVID-19 pandemic to the war in Ukraine, in addition to numerous other human rights issues such as socioeconomic polarization and inequality, as well as the digital divide caused by advanced technologies. The crisis caused by climate change, however, is becoming the most widespread universal human rights violation, endangering the very existence of humanity.
The international community has long approached the issue of climate change from a human rights perspective, including the Local Governments Climate Roadmap by UCLG in 2007 and the Paris Agreement (COP 21) in 2015. More specifically, the UN Human Rights Council began to express concern in its 2008 Resolution, stating that climate change “poses an immediate and far-reaching threat to people and communities around the world.[3]” In October 2021, the Human Rights Council recognized for the first time the human right to a clean, healthy and sustainable environment.[4] The 2022 IPCC Sixth Assessment Report assessed that climate change has already brought diverse impacts on human systems, including impacts on water security and food production, health and wellbeing, and cities, settlements and infrastructure.
Climate change poses a grave threat to the stable foundation of all areas of life, with people’s rights worsening through food shortage, poverty, infectious diseases, job insecurity, displacement, and diverse forms of inequality. In this regard, the actions or inactions by decision-makers at the local level exert significant consequences on the human rights of people, and thus we need to devise measures for the protection of human rights at the local level with global level solidarity.
Theme and Approaches
The theme of the 12th World Human Rights Cities Forum is “Climate Crisis and Human Rights,” recognizing climate change as one of the biggest threats to human rights and a sustainable future. We are aware that, just as climate crisis is a problem requiring a global solution, so the human rights issues caused by climate change also call on the whole of humanity to work together in solidarity. In the process of finding implementations of the goal, a human rights-based approach will be at the heart of the forum, while sharing a variety of information and best practices on climate change responses and mobilizing the participation of youth and various stakeholders.
Main Agendas
The 12th World Human Rights Cities Forum will comprehensively discuss climate crisis and human rights at both local and global levels, considering the following four points.
1. What are the major human rights issues linked to climate crisis?
We will identify the correlation between climate crisis and human rights, and diagnose human rights issues in various areas such as the environment, economy, education, culture, and housing, both for current and future generations.
2. Who are more vulnerable to climate crisis?
We will explore ways to locate vulnerable groups suffering more severely than others from climate crisis and seek ways to address diverse forms of discrimination and inequalities occurring in various areas.
3. What are innovative actions to take to counter climate crisis?
In order to achieve a human rights-based transition in the context of climate crisis, we will interpret climate justice from the perspective of human rights and discuss values and practices to realize it.
4. How can we promote international solidarity to cope with climate crisis?
We will find useful ways to share information and practical experience to protect human rights and seek principles and guidelines for cooperation and joint practices at local and global levels.
PROGRAMS
Network Session
Tour & Side Event
PHOTOS
VIDEO
PROGRAM BOOK
You can download the program book by clicking the attached file below.