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Friday 18 May 2012

Human Rights and Climate Change Conference, Glasgow, 23rd November 2009

A ground breaking event organised by the Scottish Government, the Scottish Human Rights Commission, the Scottish Environment Protection Agency and BTCV Scotland.

The United Nations has identified 2009 as a crucial year for climate change, culminating in the UN Climate Change conference Copenhagen on 7 – 18 December. This prestigious and unique Scottish conference was held in Glasgow on 23 November 2009. It aimed to bring the human cost of climate change into sharper focus, to put human rights and social implications at the heart of policy thinking and to provide Scottish Ministers with new perspectives to take to the table in Copenhagen. The conference partners brought together key policy makers, influencers and activists from the social, environmental and economic sectors in Scotland to share ideas and develop proposals for action to help give Scotland a leading role in the global debate.

The Programme included perspectives from experts in environmental and human rights issues at national and local level. The keynote address was delivered by John Swinney, Cabinet Secretary for Finance & Sustainable Growth. The theme of ‘climate justice’ informed the debate and the event had a strong emphasis on interactive networking and discussion sessions. We hope the event will have stimulated firm commitments for action as well as new and lasting contacts for delegates.

The conference aim was to stimulate interest and inspire action by:

  • promoting the concept of 'climate justice' rights and responsibilities
  • making specific recommendations that will turn aspirations into policy and action, using a human rights based approach
  • informing the Scottish Government's position ahead of the UN Copenhagen Climate Change Conference 7-18 December 2009

“To address climate change effectively will require a transformation of global policy capacity - from information-gathering and collective decision-making to law enforcement and resource distribution.... Human rights make clear that government obligations do not stop at their own borders”
Mary Robinson, Former UN High Commissioner for Human Rights