WCC NEWS: Human rights & climate change: WCC joins appeal

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World Council of Churches - News

WCC JOINS IN APPEAL TO GUARD HUMAN RIGHTS IN THE FACE OF CLIMATE CHANGE

For immediate release: 02 March 2011

The World Council of Churches (WCC) is among 25 religious and secular
organizations who have addressed a letter to the Human Rights Council of
the United Nations strongly urging the appointment of a UN special
rapporteur or a similar procedure to investigate climate change.

The goal of such an investigation would be to identify “the adverse
impacts of climate change for human rights” and make recommendations for
further action by international bodies.

“Climate justice, a core demand in the WCC climate change work, includes
looking at how human rights are protected and enhanced, especially looking
at the most vulnerable populations, such as those in Africa, Asia, the
Pacific or the Caribbean,” said Dr Guillermo Kerber, the WCC programme
executive for climate change.

“The WCC has clearly stated that climate change has human rights
implications,” he added. “It became clear to us after the COP 15
Conference of Parties to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change, at
Copenhagen in December 2009, that other avenues in the UN system would
have to be explored to protect victims of climate change. Having a special
procedure on climate change and human rights would be a way to enhance
that protection.”

The letter to the UN Human Rights Council calls for action to be taken at
the council session to be held in June 2011.   Full text of the letter,
with list of signatories   WCC work on climate change


Full text of the letter, with list of signatories (Link:
http://www.oikoumene.org/index.php?RDCT=c2c4a481361de3292e85
)

WCC work on climate change (Link:
http://www.oikoumene.org/index.php?RDCT=0590c328dc64d1b8ac7c )


The World Council of Churches promotes Christian unity in faith, witness 
and service for a just and peaceful world. An ecumenical fellowship of 
churches founded in 1948, today the WCC brings together 349 Protestant, 
Orthodox, Anglican and other churches representing more than 560 million 
Christians in over 110 countries, and works cooperatively with the Roman 
Catholic Church. The WCC general secretary is Rev. Dr Olav Fykse Tveit, 
from the [Lutheran] Church of Norway. Headquarters: Geneva, Switzerland.



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