The United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCC) will hold the annual Conference of Parties, COP26, from October 31^st to November 12^th 2021. The UK Government, in partnership with Italy, is hosting COP26 in Glasgow, Scotland.

IHRB is committed to elevating the risks to and experiences of workers and communities in the climate-driven industrial, technological, and energy transitions underway. These transitions must be just, as outlined in the legally binding 2015 global agreement on climate change (known as the Paris Agreement), and there is a clear role for business in preventing, mitigating, and remedying harm to people during the transition out of high-carbon activities and into the green economy.

Climate change is the greatest threat to human rights of the 21^st century. – Mary Robinson, IHRB Patron

In recent weeks, two major international developments at the UN Human Rights Council add impetus to the just transition agenda at COP26: The adoption on October 8^th of a Resolution recognising that everyone, everywhere has the human right to live in a clean, healthy and sustainable environment, and; the agreement on the same day to appoint a first-ever Special Rapporteur on Human Rights and Climate Change.

Opportunities for Engagement with IHRB

IHRB has been fully accredited to all COP proceedings and will be advocating for the rights-based approach to climate action in all of our engagements before, during, and after COP26. These include:

• 27 October 2021: As part of the three-day Just Zero conference by the Grantham Research Institute at the LSE, IHRB’s CEO John Morrison will participate in the closing session focused on articulating the key messages for COP26 and the financial imperatives of the just transition.

• 2 November 2021: IHRB will be hosting an invitation-only high-level dialogue at COP in Glasgow on business, human rights and the just transition. The discussion with CEOs, government and civil society leaders will focus on the actions required to meet global climate goals while enabling workers and communities to thrive through the transition. (Recording now available.)

• 4 November 2021: IHRB is co-hosting a special session on multilateral development banks (MDB) support for a just transition. The panel will discuss the joint MDB work on just transition – including the Common Principles for MDB Support to a Just Transition – and provide country perspectives and practical examples of the MDB policy support, finance, and partnerships that will be crucial to delivering them. (Livestream available on EBRD's YouTube channel)

• 11 November 2021: Throughout COP’s official Built Environment day, IHRB will be advancing the policy recommendations in our Better Building(s) report focused on financing human rights-based decarbonisation in Europe’s built environment, and the Dignity by Design Framework advancing human rights and the SDGs throughout the built environment lifecycle.

• 3 December 2021: EU-level policy initiatives such as the EU Green Deal and EU Taxonomy include respect for workers’ rights in the context of the green transition. In parallel, there are growing expectations for companies to conduct human rights due diligence throughout their operations. IHRB in partnership with NOVA BHRE will bring together diverse stakeholders to explore what this means for the construction sector, and what it will take to ensure greater respect for construction workers’ rights in practice.

• 9 December 2021: Access to finance is an essential enabler for the measures needed to achieve net-zero targets. IHRB in partnership with Clifford Chance will be launching a new, detailed policy report on the critical role banks have to play in ensuring that funds are directed towards actions that are impactful in driving this transition.