Statement by the International Development Law Organization (IDLO)
Thank you, Chair,
The International Development Law Organization is grateful for the opportunity to contribute to this timely and important panel. As the only global intergovernmental organization exclusively devoted to promoting the rule of law to advance peace and sustainable development, we firmly believe that justice is an essential part of climate action.
Human rights and rule of law principles – from the right to an effective remedy and access to justice, to gender equality and non-discrimination – must be mainstreamed and fully integrated into our collective response.
The rule of law promotes governance approaches that create an enabling environment for effective loss and damage initiatives. Fair and effective regulatory frameworks can enhance accountability and institutional capacity for loss and damage across all sectors in order to promote and protect a diversity of human rights.
Well-funded and independent judiciaries, equipped with the knowledge and understanding to fairly adjudicate often complex questions of climate change and environmental law, can ensure that private and State actors alike – at all levels – are accountable for their obligations under national and international law.
Climate change aggravates existing inequalities. Empowering communities, including women, youth, Indigenous people and those displaced as a consequence of climate disasters, to claim their rights and actively participate in decision-making is a vital prerequisite for achieving climate justice.
Interventions including legal education, provision of paralegal and legal services, the protection of civic space for grassroots environmental advocacy, increased funding for women-, youth- and Indigenous-led civil society organizations, and intersectional and data-driven policymaking can be crucial in this regard.
IDLO stands ready to collaborate with partners on these fronts.