National Inquiry on the Impact of Climate Change on the Human Rights of the
Filipino People and the Responsibility therefore, if any, of the “Carbon Majors”
Amicus Curiae Brief submitted by UNICEF to the Honourable Commission on
Human Rights of the Philippines
December 2017
Table of Contents
1.
Introduction ........................................................................................................... 2
2.
Children and Climate Change: an Overview .......................................................... 3
3.
The UN Convention on the Rights of the Child and Climate Change ..................... 4
3.1
The role and responsibilities of State Parties......................................................... 4
3.2
The role and responsibilities of the private sector in relation to child rights and
climate change ...................................................................................................... 5
3.3
Recent progress in recognizing child rights in climate-relevant frameworks .......... 6
4
The Impacts of Climate Change on the Rights of Children in the Philippines......... 8
4.1
Rights to Life, Survival and Development .............................................................. 8
4.2
Right to Health ...................................................................................................... 9
4.3
Right to Education ............................................................................................... 11
4.4
Right to an Adequate Standard of Living ............................................................. 12
4.5
Right to Protection from Violence, Exploitation and Abuse .................................. 13
4.6
Right to Protection from Conflict .......................................................................... 13
5
Disproportionate impacts on children in vulnerable situations.............................. 15
5.1
Girls .................................................................................................................... 15
5.2
Indigenous children ............................................................................................. 16
5.3
Urban poor children............................................................................................. 16
5.4
Children with disabilities ...................................................................................... 16
6
Future Generations and considerations of Intergenerational Equity .................... 18
7
Conclusion .......................................................................................................... 20