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50 Years of Human Rights Covenants

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Wednesday, October 19th,  the General Assembly celebrated and discussed the 50th anniversary of the adoption of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR) and the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (ICESCR). His Excellency Peter Thomson began by summarizing the success that the Human Rights Covenants have had over the past fifty years. He stressed that the covenants have transformed lives by changing constitutions and laws and legally obligating states to recognize and protect individual human rights. He iterated the importance of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and argued the need for the Agenda and the covenants to proceed jointly. Additionally, he pointed out that the adherence to the covenants is necessary in achieving SDG 16 (promoting peace and inclusive societies for sustainable development), upon which all the other SDGs are reliant. Mr. Zeid Ra’ad Al Hussein also expressed the idea that promoting human rights pushes states toward greater stability. Furthermore, he argued that the Paris climate change agreements found their roots in the ICCPR and ICESCR, and they promote the right to highest attainable standard of health. The Representative of Chile on Behalf of the Latin American states added that the ICCPR and ICESCR are both closely linked to sustainable development, an integral part of human rights.

Mr. Waleed Sadi expanded on the importance of the coordination and cooperation between both of the covenants. He pointed out that the United States had both signed and ratified ICCPR, but had only signed ICESCR. The Representative of the United States expressed the importance of promoting human rights in the United Nations and emphasized a strong commitment to doing so. Additionally, she argued that the ICCPR guarantees steady progress towards the goals outlined in ICESCR.

Meeting: “Implementation of Human Rights Instruments: Commemoration of the Fiftieth Anniversary of the Adoption of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights and the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights”

Date/Time/Location: Wednesday, October 19th, 2016; 10:00; General Assembly Hall

Speakers: His Excellency Peter Thomson, President of the General Assembly; His Excellency Jan Eliasson, Deputy Secretary General of the United Nations; Mr. Zeid Ra’ad Al Hussein, United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights; Mr. Waleed Sadi, Chair of the UN Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights; Representative of the Asia-Pacific group; Representative of Georgia on behalf of Eastern European states; Representative of Chile on behalf of Latin American states; Representative of the United Kingdom and Ireland on behalf of the Western European states; Representative of the United States

Written By: Anna Prisco, WIT Representative

 

Green and Blue Growth: Protecting our Oceans and Ourselves

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During a meeting on Oceans Day, Professor Turley spoke about ocean acidification. Already, the ocean has absorbed 28% of atmospheric CO2 which is causing the pH of our water to decrease. By 2100, average increase in temperature of water will grow by +3.2C. Even with a CO2 target of 2 degrees, the ocean is still at a moderately high risk level. From the ocean’s perspective, the 2 degree target is more of an upper limit than an ideal goal.

Sir King stated that without further action after Paris, we are faced with risks from rising climate change and sea levels. Calcutta, New York, and Shanghai will not be livable if we continue to act as we are.

Dr. Jarraud said that the Philippines has 1.2 cm of sea level rise per year, much higher than global average. We need to develop risk service initiatives and strengthen ocean and atmosphere observation systems.

Dr. Semedo: Currently, fisheries support 10-12% of global population including many coastal communities. However, availability of modern fish is predicted to decrease by 40% in tropical countries. Her 3 priorities:

  1. Improve management and use of aquatic resources by implementing FAO code of conduct for responsible fishing.
  2. Develop well-planned and -managed sustainable agriculture.
  3. Strengthen resilience of fisheries and agriculture in coastal communities.

Ambassador Friday talked about investing in a blue economy. In the Caribbean, due to hurricanes, countries are experiencing a very high level of indebtedness. In Grenada, debt servicing is costing 40% of the operating budget every year. We need to get islands to where they have enough economic growth that they can adapt and invest in their own resilience. Grenada has come up with duplicatable investment ideas worth over 1 billion dollars, and wants to share them.

Addressing the Effects of Climate Change on Oceans and on Coastal and SIDS Populations: The Scientific Evidence, Scenarios, and Choices for Decisionmakers.

Dec 4, 2015, 12:05 – 1:00 PM, COP21, “Green Zone”, Le Bourget, Paris, France

Speakers: H.E. Dr. Angus Friday, Ambassador to the United States, Grenada; H.E. Ms. Yuriko Koike, Member, House of Representatives, Japan; Prof. Carol Turley, Plymouth Marine Laboratory, UK; Sir David King, Foreign Secretary’s Special Representative for Climate Change, United Kingdom; Dr. Michel Jarraud, Secretary General, World Meteorological Organization; Dr. Helena Semedo, Deputy Director GEneral, Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations; Dr. Braulio Ferreira de Souza Dias, Executive Secretary, Convention on Biological Diversity Secretariat; Prof. Hans Portner, Co-Chair, Working Group II (Impacts and Adaptation), Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), and Professor, Marine Biology, Alfred Wegener Institute and University of Bremen

Written By: WIT Representative Alex Margolick

Cities and Decarbonization:An Atmospheric Reality Check

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Mr. Sachs began by saying that we now know that we can no longer have a fossil fuel energy system. We have exceeded our carbon budget. Reaching 2 degrees celsius is already a dangerous place, but it will be extremely hard to stay below that number. We have to decarbonize the world’s energy system, which means not small changes but big changes. By 2070 we need to be a carbon neutral society globally; how can we accomplish this? This means zero emission vehicles. Gas is a dead end; we need solar, wind, hydro, nuclear, carbon capture or other zero emission energy sources. Stockholm will get to zero emissions by 2040, compared to NY which will reduce by 80% by 2050.

Mr. Sachs said that the strategies humanity needs to focus on Deep Decarbonisation Pathways Projects, which, according to its website, is “a global collaboration of  energy research teams charting practical pathways to deeply reducing greenhouse gas emissions in their own countries. It is predicated on taking seriously what is needed to limit global warming to 2°C or less.” It aims to get down to 1.5 tonnes CO2 emissions by 2050 and 0 by 2070. He ended by asking countries to submit not only INDCs but also DDPPs.

Ms. Wanngard spoke next on behalf of her city, Stockholm. When asked for three key pieces of advices to give to other cities, she answered with the following: to build a terrific carbon neutral public transportation system. If you have a housing shortage, make sure the builders build climate neutral structures. Finally, make sure universities, government, and public sector have the proper technological innovations.

COP21 ICLEI “TAP Talk” with Jeffrey Sachs

December 3, 2pm – 2:30pm.

Agora Hall, Cities and Regions Pavilion, Le Bourget (“Green Zone”), Paris, France

Jeffrey Sachs, Director of the Earth Institute, Columbia University; Monica Fein Mayor of Rosario, Argentina; Karin Wanngard, Mayor of the City of Stockholm, Sweden; Monika Zimmermann, Deputy-Secretary General, ICLEI

Written by: WIT Representative Alex Margolick

Photo Credit: Deep Decarbonization Pathways Project