前言:聯合國高專辦最新行動,徵求健康環境權相關意見
2012年聯合國人權理事會(HRC)決議設立「人權與環境議題獨立專家」(A/HRC/RES/19/10),負責研究與享有一個安全、乾淨、健康和永續環境相關的人權義務問題。
經過十年努力,聯合國大會終於2022年7月決議通過,肯認「享有乾淨、健康和永續環境是基本人權」(A/RES/76/300);2024年4月人權理事會將「人權與環境議題獨立專家」頭銜改為「享有乾淨、健康和永續環境人權議題特別報告員」、擴大其任務,並聘任氣候家長獎學金研究員、墨西哥市氣候媽媽組織的創始人、環境法專家Ms. Astrid Puentes Riaño 擔任。
為了了解與其有效享有相關的義務,並確定其充分實現的重要進展、挑戰和障礙,聯合國大會邀請特別報告員於今年(2024)9月招開之第79屆聯合國大會進行專題報告,審議有關該權利落實情況等訊息。
特別報告員據此公開徵求意見,鼓勵各國、各機構就健康環境權八大關鍵議題提出報告,作為聯合國大會專題報告編制參考。民間提交報告並有機會公開、發布於人權高專辦特別報告員主頁上,供全球參酌。
援此,本會特依據過去參與國家人權行動計畫之經驗,提出台灣經驗分享報告如後,提供關注此議題之環友參考。
國家有意願:國家人權行動計畫納入氣候變遷與人權
為回應國內外人權專家學者、民間團體的倡議及聯合國鼓勵各會員國制定行動計畫之期待,臺灣行政院於2018年起著手研議首部「國家人權行動計畫」。
研議過程並注意到巴黎協定、聯合國人權高專辦第38號文件(Fact Sheet No.38),與聯合國大會健康環境權決議(A/RES/76/300)等意見,遂於2022年5月發布之臺灣「國家人權行動計畫」,納入包含「氣候變遷與人權」在內的八大議題,總計154項行動,以彰顯臺灣承諾願意將人權保障列入政府氣候變遷政策之決心,以及積極意願。
有具體指標與作法:分階段、分部門、以減量、調適、技術、財務為類型
「國家人權行動計畫」有具體指標與做法,由行政院人權及轉型正義處定期追蹤與考核。第一階段從2022-2024,政府各部門行動分階段設定「關鍵績效指標」,並指定主辦、協辦機關,每年由各主辦機關填報執行進度並上網公開、辦理公開會議說明(視訊直播,含手語翻譯)。
「氣候變遷與人權」專章有:(1)確保享有清潔、健康及永續環境權;(2)確保永續性之公正轉型;(3)精進友善環境之技術開發與移轉制度;(4)確保代際公平之發展等四大目標,以納入氣候公約所提減量、調適、技術、財務等因應氣候變遷之四大措施類型。
而在「確保享有清潔、健康及永續環境權」目標下,規劃提供指引、操作指南(行動123、124)等兩式「工具」,鼓勵公務員進行有人權思考的氣候政策規劃,實現健康環境權保障目標。
以下概述指引、操作指南內容,而基於人權的普世性,此舉有機會形成國際方法學通論,並透過各國國家人權行動計畫實現之。
氣候變遷人權指引:四個步驟,勾勒方向
指引包含:巴黎協定下的國家自定貢獻與透明度框架;國家自定貢獻與人權行動計畫;氣候人權原則(9個)、原住民與國家自定貢獻;基於人權的氣候行動指引等章節,強調「國家有義務關注氣候議題,實現健康環境權」。
除背景性與臺灣氣候法、氣候治理框架說明外,末章並詳述四個融入人權具體步驟,分別為(1)政策回顧:釐清政策背景、定位與效力,說明政策考量因素;(2)環境與社會事實界定:分別梳理環境與社會面向政策所設之事實、範疇,包含地方意見;(3)相關法規盤點(含國際法):掃瞄並判斷不同或「相鄰」國內外法規,注意既有體制安排,;(4)評析與涉及人權事項掃描:分別從實體與程序人權等切入,引導提出涉及事項並討論。
四個步驟的方法學,勾勒出實踐氣候人權的方向,並鼓勵政策制定者依照各部門特質,發展、細化融入人權因素之各部門指引,以作為各別氣候政策之引導與依歸。
操作指南包含:比減緩更重要的調適行動;國家調適行動與人權;氣候變遷、人權原則與原住民;基於人權的氣候調適行動等章節,並強調自由事先知情同意(FPIC)與惠益共享原則。
操作指南建議各部門與調適行動者,透過擴大「氣候變遷與人權敏感」的問題意識,於臺灣既有「國家氣候變遷調適計畫」中之「分析基本背景、界定優先調適領域、評估脆弱度」等步驟掃描涉及氣候人權之事項,或於形成個別調適行動前之「調適領域與議題選擇機制」,加入氣候人權討論,融入人權法於調適行動。
有鑑於氣候調適行動多元,操作指南除於末章概述四個融入人權具體步驟外,並以「檢核表」搭配3個臺灣政策案例作為範例的方式,將四個步驟進一步細化為31個具體檢核項目,協助使用者逐一檢視可行措施。透過檢核表項目,並與臺灣既有氣候、國內人權政策與國際人權法相連結,鼓勵依照各部門特質堆疊氣候調適行動與人權案例,作為執行臺灣「國家氣候變遷調適計畫」內容之輔佐工具。
【A feasible way to practice the basic right to a healthy environment: Experience sharing from Taiwan】
Taiwan has the will: the National Human Rights Action Plan incorporates climate change and human rights
In response to the initiatives of domestic and foreign human rights experts, scholars, and civil society, as well as the UN’s expectation to encourage member states to formulate action plans, Taiwan's Executive Yuan began formulating the first "National Human Rights Action Plan" in 2018.
During the deliberation process, we also took note of the Paris Agreement, the OHCHR Fact Sheet No. 38, and the UN General Assembly’s resolution on the human right to a clean, healthy and sustainable environment (A/RES/76/300), and so on. In May 2022, Taiwan's "National Human Rights Action Plan" has eight major topics, with a total of 154 actions, including the charter on "Climate Change and Human Rights" to demonstrate Taiwan's determination and positive willingness to integrate human rights protection into government's climate change policy.
Equip with specific indicators and methods: phased, sectoral, and classified by reduction, adjustment, technology, and finance
The "National Human Rights Action Plan" has specific indicators and methods, which are regularly tracked and assessed by the Office of Human Rights and Transitional Justice of the Executive Yuan. In the first phase, from 2022 to 2024, various government departments will set "key performance indicators" in stages, and designate the sponsoring and co-organizing agencies. Each sponsoring agency will report in the implementation progress once a year and make publicize online as well as conduct public meeting to explain (video live broadcast, including sign language interpreter).
There are 4 major goals in the chapter on "Climate Change and Human Rights": (1) ensuring the enjoyment of right to a clean, healthy and sustainable environment; (2) ensuring a just transition for sustainability; (3) improving the development and transfer of environmentally friendly technologies system; (4) ensure the development of intergenerational equity. By doing so to incorporate the 4 major measures the UNFCCC addressed to cope with the climate change: reduction, adaptation, technology, and finance.
Under the goal of "ensuring the enjoyment of the right to a clean, healthy and sustainable environment", the plan provides two "tools" such as Guidance and Operational Manual (Actions 123 and 124) to encourage civil servants to carry out climate policy planning with human rights considerations in mind to achieve the goal of protecting the right to a healthy environment.
The following outlines the contents of the Guidance and Operational Manual. Based on the universality of human rights, this has the opportunity to form an international methodology and be implemented through National Human Rights Action Plans of various countries.
Human rights Guidance on climate change: 4 steps to chart the way
Chapters of the Guidance include: Nationally Determined Contributions (NDC) and Transparency Framework under the Paris Agreement; NDC and Human Rights Action Plan; Climate change and human rights principles (9), Indigenous Peoples and NDC; Human rights-based climate action guidance. Emphasizing that "the state has the obligation to pay attention to climate issues and realize the right to a healthy environment."
In addition to the background and description of Taiwan’s climate law and climate governance framework, the final section also details 4 specific steps to integrate human rights, which are (1) Policy review: clarify the policy background, positioning and effectiveness, and explain policy considerations; (2) Definition of environmental and social facts: sort out the facts and categories set by environmental and social-oriented policies, including local opinions; (3) Inventory of relevant laws and regulations (including international law): scan and judge different or "adjacent" domestic and foreign laws and regulations, pay attention to existing institutional arrangements; (4) Scan and identify of human rights-related matters: guide and raise the discussion of referred matters from the view of substantive and procedural human rights.
The 4 step methodology outlines the direction for implementing climate human rights and encourages policymakers to develop and refine departmental guidelines that incorporate human rights factors according to the characteristics of each department, so as to serve as the guidance and basis for individual climate policies.
Human rights Operation Manual on climate change: specific inspection items and feasible measures one by one
Chapters of the Operational Manual include: Adaptation actions that are more important than mitigation; National adaptation actions and human rights; Climate change, human rights principles and Indigenous Peoples; Climate adaptation actions based on human rights, etc., and emphasize the principles of Free, Prior and Informed Consent (FPIC) and Benefit Sharing.
The Operational Manual recommends that various departments and adaptation actors should "analyze the basic background, define priority adaptation areas, and assess vulnerability" of Taiwan's existing "National Climate Change Adaptation Plan" by expanding their awareness of "climate change and human rights sensitivity" issues. ” and other steps to scan for matters involving climate human rights; or add the discussion on climate human rights into the “adaptation field and issue selection mechanism” to integrate the human right laws into adaptation actions prior to the formation of individual adaptation actions.
In view of the diversity of climate adaptation actions, in addition to outlining 4 specific steps for integrating human rights in the final section, the Operational Manual refines the 4 steps into 31 specific inspection items by using a "checklist" with three Taiwan policy cases as examples to facilitate the users to examine respective feasible measures and help users review feasible measures one by one.
Through the checklist items and linking them with Taiwan's existing climate, domestic human rights policies and international human rights laws, we encourage the stacking of climate adaptation actions and human rights cases according to the characteristics of each government department, as an aid to the implementation of Taiwan's "National Climate Change Adaptation Plan" tool.