Speech by Sayyid Al-Hakeem, Secretary-General of Al-Hakeem Foundation, delivered during the 53rd session of the United Nations Economic and Social Council.

“The Negative effects of climate change on Human Rights”

In the Name of Allah, Most Gracious, Most Merciful

Mr. President,

Ladies and Gentlemen,

May Allah’s peace, mercy, and blessings be upon you,

Climate change threatens the full and effective enjoyment of a variety of human rights, including the right to life, the right to water and the right to food, the right to health, the right to housing, the right to culture, and the right to development.

The world today is in the highest level of danger due to the high rates of global warming and greenhouse emission, and if climate change is not addressed in the next ten years, humanity and its existence will be in grave danger.

Climate changes, whether caused by natural or man-made factors, have direct impacts on all human beings without discrimination, but poor countries and communities remain the most affected by these changes, which threaten all their basic rights.

The United Nations has ranked Iraq as one of the most affected countries in the world by climate change, and almost a fifth of the people in Iraq live in areas suffering from water shortages.

The years 2022-2023 were the most severe for Iraq in light of water scarcity, high rates of drought, desertification, dust storms, and forced displacement of many residents and farmers.

We call for the integration of the right to adequate housing into climate change adaptation and mitigation strategies, giving priority to adaptation measures aimed at protecting communities vulnerable to the direct effects of climate change, addressing the risks of social unrest driven by climate factors, addressing desertification and drought, adopting alternatives to agriculture and investing in forestry in order to reduce dust storms and desertification, Consider 2025 as a year free of global warming and greenhouse gases and establish a UN fund to provide technical and financial support to address the effects of climate change on human rights in the world and adopt climate policy and justice as a binding strategy for countries.

Al-Hakim Foundation is working to achieve these goals

Sayyid Ammar Al-Hakeem,

Secretary-General of Al-Hakim Foundation,