Memorandum for the Petitioners [ 91 Hook to live in the neighborhood as if Sandy had never h i t . . . . 39 ° (Emphasis supplied) 8. 52. Focusing on the right to dignity can advance the present inquiry by keeping the focus directly on the petitioners. While much of the conversation seem abstract, recognizing the right of every person to have his or her dignity reinforces that the inquiry is ultimately about people. Using a dignity lens further helps the legal analysis of human rights as indivisible and experienced interdependently, as well as connect individuals to legal issues by invoking a legally recognized and protected right that people understand and own. 2. r The right to life 8.53. Under the Universal Declaration of Human Rights,391 everyone has the right to life, liberty, and security of person. These same rights are articulated in the 1987 Philippine Constitution’s Bill of Rights .392 This is similarly reiterated in the ICCPR,393 which echoes that every human being has the inherent right to life. 8.54. According to expert resource person to the Honorable Commission, Mr. Ben Schachter from the U.N. Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights, “[a]ll States have committed to respect, protect, promote, and fulfill the right to life,” which translates into legal obligations that require, at the very least, effective measures to be taken against foreseeable and preventable loss of life.394 C 8.55. The Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) has recognized that climate change “clearly poses a threat to human life” due to the higher incidence of mortality associated with extreme weather events, increased heat, drought, and expanding disease vectors, among other things.395 390 Testimony of Ms. Candice Sering, TSN dated 27-28 September, p. 18, available at http://chr.gov.ph/wpcontent/ uploads/2019/04/NICC-TSN-September-27-to-28-New-York-United -States.pdf ( last accessed on 12 September 2019). 391 Article 3, Article 3, Universal Declaration of Human Rights (1948). 392 Sections 1 and 2, Article III of the 1987 Philippine Constitution. 393 Article 6 , International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (1966). 394 Testimony of Ben Schachter, TSN 6-7 November 2018, p. 71-72, available at http://chr.gov.ph/wpcontent/ uploads/2019/04/NICC-TSN-November 6-to-7-London-United-Kingdom.pdf (last accessed on 12 September 2019); Also see: Article 6 Convention on the Rights of the Child; Similar provisions can be found in Art . 2 European Convention for the Protection of Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms ( 1950) [hereinafter ECHR], Art. 4 American Convention on Human Rights ( 1969) [ hereinafter ACHR], Art. 4 African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights ( 1981 ) [hereinafter AChHPR]. As a cornerstone of international human rights law, the right to life is not only guaranteed by treaty law provisions, but also part of customary international law. 395 U.N. Human Rights Office of the High Commissioner, Understanding Human Rights and Climate Change, Submission of the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights to the 21st Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, pp. 13- 14, cited in Joint Summary Amicus, supra note 50, p. 22 . -

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