The European Union, in a statement delivered at the UN Human Rights Council's annual panel discussion on climate change and human rights on 19 June 2026, warned that climate change poses a serious threat to human rights and called for an accelerated transition away from fossil fuels. The statement, published by the EEAS on 22 June 2026, emphasized that the adverse effects of climate change, including sea-level rise, drought, and natural disasters, can severely impair rights to life, health, and an adequate standard of living, disproportionately affecting women, children, and Indigenous Peoples. The EU stressed the need for a human rights-based approach to climate action, with meaningful public participation and access to information, as key to promoting social justice and inclusiveness in the global transition to a climate-neutral and resilient planet.
The EU highlighted that the growing frequency of heatwaves and droughts across Europe underscores the urgency of accelerating the transition away from fossil fuels towards climate-neutral, resilient, nature-positive, and circular economies. The transition must be just and inclusive, keeping the 1.5°C goal within reach. As the world's largest contributor of climate finance, the EU and its Member States remain committed to supporting vulnerable developing countries, noting that in 2024, EU climate finance totalled €42.7 billion from public and private sources. The EU welcomed the New Collective Quantified Goal (NCQG) decision, which calls on all actors to scale up financing from all sources, including additional private finance. The statement concluded with a question to panelists on the most effective measures to ensure increased climate finance reaches the most affected communities while advancing a human rights-based approach.