Right Here, Right Now Global Climate Alliance with support from Global Partner United Nations Human Rights, Launches Human Rights Climate Commitments and Global Summit

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Nov 08, 2022, 12:51 ET

The Human Rights Climate Commitments framework will be shepherded by University of Colorado Boulder and unveiled at COP 28 in Dubai as an appeal for the 193 Member States and other duty-bearers worldwide to fast-track help for people in vulnerable situations.

Celebrities Unite for Climate Justice: Leonardo DiCaprio and Right Here, Right Now Celebrity Coalition Kicks off COP27 with Social Media Blitz, backing United Nations Human Rights goals in urgent message to world leaders.

SHARM EL SHEIKH, Egypt, Nov. 8, 2022 /PRNewswire/ -- At the 2022 United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP 27), Right Here, Right Now Global Climate Alliance, a multi-year international climate justice initiative supported by United Nations Human Rights and created by David Clark Cause, announced the launch of a groundbreaking new initiative for rights-based climate action, the Human Rights Climate Commitments (HRCC).

Inspired by the Universal Declaration of Human Rights and other human rights instruments, the first draft of the commitments will be an outcome of the inaugural Right Here, Right Now Global Climate Summit to be held Dec. 1-4, 2022 at the University of Colorado Boulder. The summit includes participation by iconic climate and human rights advocates, including Irish President Mary Robinson, who also served as UN High Commissioner for Human Rights from 1997-2002. Learn more here and register.

The upcoming Right Here, Right Now Global Climate Summit is the first-of-its-kind, and in-personal and virtual attendees representing more than 2,300 educational institutions in the burgeoning Right Here, Right Now Education Coalition will be participating and contributing to the summit and historic evolution of the Human Rights and Climate Commitments.

"UN Human Rights is proud to be the Global Partner of the Right Here, Right Now Global Climate Alliance – a human rights initiative committed to promoting and advancing the rights of people around the world suffering from the devastating effects of climate change. Addressing the climate crisis will require a whole of society effort. That's why UN Human Rights is so excited to be a part of the Right Here, Right Now Global Climate Alliance and see its new initiatives develop and grow in the coming years," said Benjamin Schachter, UN Human Rights Team leader for Environment and Climate Change.

"The United Nations continues to inform the world of the grave statistics showing how women, children, indigenous peoples, the poor and marginalized are suffering the most as the climate catastrophe escalates. The creation of the Human Rights Climate Commitments will provide a unique human rights framework for government and businesses leaders, human rights advocates, climate experts, universities, and others to kickstart critical action to address climate change and help the people most affected by it," said David Clark, Founder and CEO of Right Here, Right Now Global Climate Alliance, and CEO of David Clark Cause.

The Right Here, Right Now Global Climate Alliance is working with its Global Partner United Nations Human Rights and the University of Colorado Boulder to elevate understanding about the human rights crisis that climate change represents and to urgently appeal for more ambitious efforts to address it. The Human Rights Climate Commitments will play a key role as an aspirational and prescriptive living document including specific commitments that governments at all levels, corporations, and universities will be urged to make to prevent and minimize the adverse effects of climate change and address their impacts. The Human Rights Climate Commitments will be periodically reviewed and updated to reflect the highest human rights standards and latest scientific information.

"The Human Rights Climate Commitments are based on the human rights framework that establishes specific obligations and responsibilities to respect and protect human rights, including in the context of climate change," said CU Distinguished International Law Professor S. James Anaya, who is the summit steering committee chair and the former UN Special Rapporteur on the rights of indigenous peoples. "What distinguishes the commitments is that multiple sectors are involved. The threat of climate change to our survival requires a concerted effort by all of us."

Since its launch in fall 2021 at COP 26, the Right Here, Right Now Global Climate Alliance has already emerged as the largest public-private partnership addressing climate change as a human rights issue, bringing together human rights experts, scientists, corporate leaders, NGOs, academics, advocates, and people around the globe in the fight for rights-based climate action to preserve our common future. In addition to the Right Here, Right Now Global Climate Summit and Human Rights Climate Commitments, next year the alliance will introduce global initiatives with best-in-class partners in Sport, Music, Education and Technology.

The Right Here, Right Now Global Climate Alliance has garnered support from celebrities that include Leonardo DiCaprio, Quincy Jones, Celine Dion, Cher, Jeff Bridges, Camila Cabello, Ellen DeGeneres, Edward Norton, Annie Lennox, Cyndi Lauper, Pitbull, LL Cool J, Joss Stone, Kesha, and Jack Black to name just a few. The superstar coalition's Right Here, Right Now COP27 Campaign in support of UN Human Rights aims to collectively reach a milestone of over a half billion people via Twitter, Instagram and Facebook followers. For more information, visit: www.righthererightnow.global