No one shall be held in slavery or servitude (Article 4 – UDHR) Natural climate-related disasters are exploited by human traffickers. They are often the first ones to arrive on the scene and pick up children and young women who are lost during the first 72 hours.

4. Global Climate Change and Economic and Social Rights

Everyone has the right to a standard of living adequate for the health and well-being of himself and his family, including food, clothing, housing and medical care and necessary social services, and the right to security in the event of unemployment, sickness, disability, widowhood, old age or other lack of livelihood in circumstances beyond his control. (Article 25 – UDHR) Long term impact will increase food insecurity, water scarcity, and the number who are malnourished. Global warming has already begun to interfere with subsistence hunting and farming. Increased acidity in oceans will further reduce fish stock. The collapse of ecosystems will lead to a loss of livelihoods and malnutrition. Climate change will lead to threats to health and nutrition, loss of savings and assets, damage to property, destruction of crops. Rising sea levels will increase the number who will be displaced from their homes. Killer diseases will expand. Migration of species that cause malaria, dengue fever, etc. may spread to new areas where these diseases were previously unknown. Public health systems in poor countries will be less able to respond. Poor face a double risk: increase risk to becoming ill and fewer resources for medical treatment.

Example: In Central Mexico, the probability of illness increased by 16% after a drought and 41% after a flood. The poor are less able to recover from natural disasters than those that are wealthy. Examples: After the Bangladesh flood in 1998, the poorest households were forced to cope in ways that led to long-term losses in nutrition and health. Drought in Zimbabwe during 1982-84 resulted in loss of education that translated into a 14% loss of lifetime earnings. Climate change may lead to large and long-term human development setbacks. For certain indigenous groups in the northern region, warmer weather is leading to a loss of traditional food sources. The loss of biodiversity is having a significant impact on indigenous peoples. Example: on St. Paul Island in Alaska, the warmer weather has reduced subsistence hunting opportunities because certain species have left the island. Climate-related observations from the Aleutian Islands have noted the presence of non-indigenous warm-water fish species. These new species are competing for resources with traditional species and marine mammals.

5. Global Climate Change and the Right to Education

Everyone has the right to education. (Article 26 – UDHR) The economic stress climate change poses to poor families will intensify pressure to send children to work instead of school. Example: After Hurricane Mitch, the percentage of children in Nicaragua who were forced to work rather than go to school increased from 7.5 to 15.6%.  

6. Global Climate Change and Cultural Rights

Everyone has the right freely to participate in the cultural life of the community (Article 27 – UDHR) Degradation of natural resources may violate the right to culture particularly in indigenous communities.
Example: In the words of one Inuk man, “The learning curve for [young people] is getting shorter. The less time they spend out hunting, the less they learn. Because you need to learn about the weather, the currents, the sea and the ice…If   they’re not out there hunting, and the ice is not there, then they’re not learning what they need to learn…”

Preparation for this conference includes study of each of the conference subthemes. Students will receive background materials, as well as reference sites and the opportunity to participate in live video chats with UN experts to aid in their learning.

This year, students worked together to develop the Plan of Acion over the internet in the days leading up to the videoconference. Below are the drafts that were submitted by the student around the world, as well as the drafts worked on by the students in New York.

Final Plan of Action voted on by student representatives:
Final Plan of Action 5 December, 2008

Final Draft for Discussion on Friday 5 December
Final Draft UNSCHR 2008

Thursday Night Drafts from New York City and Mexico City:

Cultural Rights		Economic and Social		Education
Equality		Right to Life		Slavery

 

2nd Drafts from Students in New York:

Cultural Rights v1v2 3 Dec		Economic and Socia lv1v2_3dec		Education v1v2 3dec
Equality v1v2 3 Dec		Right to Life v1v2 3 Dec		Slavery v1v2 3 Dec

 

Drafts from Students in Pretoria:

Cultural Rights		Economic and Social		Education
Equality		Right to Life		Slavery

 

 

Ideas from Students in Chennai:
 General Points on all Subthemes

Watch Archived Video from 3-4 December, 2008