Outcomes A strong commitment to mainstreaming human rights in national and regional responses to climate change was expressed by government leaders and IGM representatives at the opening of the High-Level Dialogue and workshop. “Samoa is a party to six international human rights conventions. Under these conventions, States have a human rights obligation to prevent the foreseeable adverse effects of climate change and ensure that those affected by it, particularly those in vulnerable situations, have access to effective remedies and means of adaptation to enjoy lives of human dignity.” Hon. Toeolesulusulu Cedric Pose Salesa Schuster Minister of Natural Resources and Environment “The human rights lens shows that our communities are not just increasingly vulnerable to the impacts of climate change but their very wellbeing and survival are at stake … SPREP has a responsibility, and government also has a responsibility, to ensure human rights considerations are mainstreamed into the thematic priorities that we address through the 2050 Blue Pacific strategy.” Sefanaia Nawadra Director General, SPREP The High-Level Dialogue and workshop featured collaborative and constructive discussions. There was enthusiasm among participants to better understand the issues, identify constructive approaches they could take within their respective spheres, and to collaborate for greater impact. Participants expressed appreciation for the opportunity to collaborate with representatives from different sectors – government, civil society and IGMs – and discuss climate change from a human rights perspective, including presentations from youth representatives on the impacts for children and the gaps they face accessing information about climate change in the school curriculum. The discussions included honest reflections from government representatives, who shared how they had learned from previous experiences of failing to properly include people with disabilities when planning projects. Government representatives also described the challenges they face to implement projects with limited funding and resources. There was an appreciation of the link between human rights and climate change and the importance of ensuring human rights considerations are at the centre of climate change planning and actions. This message was reinforced during a special online presentation by Dr Ian Fry, the UN Special Rapporteur on human rights and climate change. Participants also demonstrated a commitment to understand the human rights-based approach and how this could be applied in the context of responding to the impacts of climate change, including: ● ● ● Development of a climate change bill, led by the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment Development of sector climate change policies, led by the Ministry of Fisheries and Agriculture Review of gender policies and framework by the Secretariat of the Pacific Regional Environment Programme. - 26 -