The Commission on Human Rights (CHR) expresses its full support for the passage of House Bill (HB) No. 9609, or The Climate Accountability (CLIMA) Act. If passed into a law, this bill will pave the way for the establishment of a legal framework which will ensure that remedies for climate-related human rights violations will be made accessible for every Filipino.

Introduced by House Representatives Edgar Chatto, Jocelyn Sy Limkaichong, Fernando Cabredo, Anna Victoria Veloso-Tuazon, Christian Tell Yap, and Jose Manuel Alba, HB No. 9609 or the CLIMA Act aims to establish policies to combat climate change, protect communities from related harms, and hold responsible parties, such as carbon majors, accountable and liable for their actions.

The Commission commends the filing of HB No. 9609 as it reinforces the Philippines’ commitment to climate justice. This initiative paves the way for the establishment of mechanisms for reparations and hold corporations accountable for climate responsibilities. Climate change threatens numerous human rights, such as one’s right to life, access to water and sanitation, food, health, and housing, among others. The CHR believes that HB No. 9609 signals a crucial step toward both climate justice and the advancement of human rights.

The nexus between climate change and human rights has been established through the CHR’s National Inquiry on Climate Change (NICC) report. This landmark inquiry, conducted through a global, inclusive, and dialogical method, highlights the collaborative nature that States and private enterprises must adopt in order to effectively implement and carry out climate change-related mitigation and adaptation activities.[1]

Such is also the overall goal of the United Nations Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights (UNGP BHR), which emphasises the obligation of governments to take appropriate steps which prevent, investigate, punish, and redress such human rights abuses through appropriate avenues. Business enterprises, in return, are expected to avoid the infringement of these rights and address the adverse impacts which they may have contributed to.[2]

As such, governments and corporations both hold the obligation to respect, protect, and fulfil human rights in the context of climate systems, even within the context of international human rights standards.

We commend the filing of HB No. 9609 with its alignment to CHR’s recommendations from the NICC report, which encourages businesses to engage in practices that respect, protect, and uphold human rights in addressing climate change, while emphasising the State duty to prevent harmful impacts to the environment through effective legislation.

The Commission acknowledges the House Representatives’ efforts in filing this bill. We believe that HB 9609 is a crucial step toward both climate justice and the advancement of human rights. To ensure a sustainable future, we must tackle climate change to create a safe, thriving, and just environment for all generations. ###

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[1] National Inquiry on Climate Change, https://chr.gov.ph/nicc-2/

[2] United Nations Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights, 2011 https://www.ohchr.org/sites/default/files/documents/publications/guidingprinciplesbusinesshr_en.pdf