This oral statement was submitted to the 55th Session of the Human Rights Council Interactive Dialogue on the Special Rapporteur Report on Environment. Watch the video statement here.

Distinguished delegates and Special Rapporteur, I am Sharlaine Balagtas of LILAK (Purple Action for Indigenous Women’s Rights) and the Asian Pacific Resource and Research Centre for Women (ARROW).

The Philippines is the most vulnerable country in the world for climate-related disasters, resulting in food and health insecurity, with women and girls disproportionately affected. Despite a long history of human rights violations, the Philippines also is a hotspot for the extractive industry. Moreover, we remain one of the most dangerous countries in the world for land and environment defenders.

We welcome the report of the Special Rapporteur on the issue of human rights concerning a safe, clean, healthy, and sustainable environment. We laud its statement that irresponsible practices of businesses are causing the planetary crisis and violating human rights. However, further emphasis needs to be placed on how businesses and state actors violate the sexual and reproductive health and rights of women and girls, including indigenous women and girls.

States must also be held accountable for violating the rights to dissent and to seek justice of women human rights defenders. We join the strong push for the passage of the legally binding treaty for corporate accountability.

We therefore call on States to take the following measures to ensure women and girls in all their diversities enjoy a safe, clean, healthy and sustainable environment, with full access to their sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR).

Our recommendations are:

• Ensure inclusive and meaningful participation of the most affected and marginalised communities in decision-making related to climate change at all levels.
• Uphold sexual and reproductive health and rights and acknowledge its co-benefits in contributing to climate adaptation, mitigation and resilience to fulfill international commitments including the Gender Action Plan, Paris Agreement Beijing Platform for Action and International Conference on Population and Development.