MEDIA RELEASE
17 November 2016
Māori health leader speaks about climate change and the right to health at COP22
World leaders are meeting in Marrakesh to bring to life the promises made to limit climate change in the Paris Agreement. Earlier this week Rhys Jones, a Māori doctor and co-convenor of OraTaiao: The NZ Climate & Health Council, called for climate action that protects human rights, especially indigenous rights, children’s rights and the right to health.
Dr Jones is in Morocco at COP22 participating in an event hosted by the World Health Organization and the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights.
“This year is set again to be the hottest year on record and global inaction on climate change is already harming people’s right to health, especially for children and indigenous peoples,” Dr Jones said.
“However it’s not just climate change itself, but also our responses to climate change that can lead to a breach of these rights. Governments, including New Zealand’s, are accountable under international agreements not just to act on climate change, but to do so in ways that protect, improve and uphold human rights.
“In New Zealand and Oceania, Māori and indigenous Pacific communities are being hit first and hardest by the impacts of climate change, undermining their right to health. For example, extreme weather events are destroying communities and blocking access to health services. At the same time, the UN Committee on the Rights of the Child has criticised New Zealand for failing to protect children’s rights, including through inaction on climate change.”
Dr Jones said upholding human rights is one of the fundamental duties of government and a safe, healthy climate underpins many of those rights.
“So to protect human rights, climate policies need to be urgent, transformative and to centralise human wellbeing and fairness.”
Rhys Jones is at COP22 in Morocco: [email protected] Ph 021 411 743
His talk on 16 November 2016 at the COP is here. (Rhys’ talk is 45 minutes into the UN Session recording):
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j2qm7kGlpno&list=PL-m2oy1bnLzocWRks4MGBmGKdcf8Nxuns&index=142
Recommendations from UN Committee on the Rights of the Child to New Zealand http://tbinternet.ohchr.org/Treaties/CRC/Shared Documents/NZL/INT_CRC_COC_NZL_25459_E.pdf
Children’s rights and climate change in Aotearoa New Zealand. Report from OraTaiao for UN Committee on the Rights of the Child: http://www.acya.org.nz/uncroc-documents.html
OraTaiao: The New Zealand Climate and Health Council have over 500 health professional members concerned with climate change as a serious public health threat. They also promote the positive health gains that can be achieved through action to address climate change. See: www.orataiao.org.nz