The UN’s mid-year climate meetings have opened in Bonn, and pressure is mounting for climate negotiations to deliver policies grounded in human rights and social justice. The International Federation for Human Rights (FIDH) is calling on negotiators to ensure that human rights protections, public participation, and an open civic space are embedded at the centre of cooperation to transition away from fossil fuels.
8 June 2026. Today, the SB64 June climate conference begins at the United Nations climate secretariat in Germany, inaugurating the formal negotiation process that will lead to the bigger November COP in Turkey. These talks come at a time of growing demands across the board for climate policy grounded in human rights.
At COP30, civil society secured a groundbreaking decision to develop a Just Transition Mechanism to accelerate and coordinate climate action that advances social justice and human rights for all. Just a few weeks ago, the UN General Assembly voted to endorse the climate advisory opinion of the International Court of Justice, reaffirming the relevance of binding legal obligations – including human rights ones – for climate cooperation.
Meanwhile, a “coalition of the willing” composed of 57 States and thousands of civil society groups gathered in April in Colombia to discuss practical solutions in their national contexts to phase out fossil fuels. At the same time, Brazil’s COP30 Presidency is hoping to address the same issues through a “Roadmap to Antalya”.
None of these plans can meet the challenge without putting human rights protection at the heart of negotiations and implementation. FIDH is working alongside partners in the Human Rights & Climate Change Working Group to inform negotiators on these issues and ensure that the work in Bonn makes the grade when it comes to human rights principles and civic space.
Transitioning away from fossil fuels requires the effective participation of affected people, communities and human rights defenders to bring about a human rights economy that does not extract resources – including those labelled as “critical” or “green” – and dignity.
The transition also demands a strong civil space for defenders to propose real solutions to cut emissions, and to denounce violations arising from projects and policies that do not account for human rights.
FIDH will continue pushing for justice and human rights as integral parts of the solution to the climate crisis.
Read our joint position here.
