Nationally Determined Contributions Must Be Fossil Fuel-Free and Human Rights-based
In 2015, Member States of the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) adopted the Paris Agreement, committing to limit global warming to 1.5°C in an equitable way, to create a climate-safe future, and to align finance flows with these objectives. Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) are the cornerstones of these national efforts, requiring each country to to prepare, communicate, and maintain demonstrated progression in terms of climate ambition targets every five years.
The next round of revision, implementation, and reporting of NDCs is due in 2025, offering a critical window of opportunity to ensure that national climate policies align with internationally agreed-upon objectives, including those under international human rights law.
What Countries Must Include in Their NDCs?
As countries prepare their new NDCs, they must:
- Uphold the State’s human rights obligations in the preparation of the NDC, including by building on meaningful and inclusive participation. Governments should communicate how human rights obligations inform the preparation of NDCs.
- Set ambition levels and related policies and measures aligned with human rights obligations and ensure that the implementation of such policies respects, protects and promotes human rights. This includes committing to an urgent, equitable, and full phaseout of fossil fuels and avoiding false solutions such as carbon offsets, carbon capture and storage (CCS), and geoengineering. It also entails ensuring that NDCs reflect all climate objectives, including those related to providing finance, building climate resilience, and addressing climate harms.
- Ensure that human rights obligations inform and are embedded in the monitoring, and evaluation of the NDCs, ensuring accountability and justice..
CIEL’s Role
CIEL works with governments, national human rights institutions, civil society, Indigenous Peoples, and international organizations to ensure that NDCs uphold international climate and human rights law. It does so by informing and monitoring the design and implementation of NDCs and engaging in related international climate negotiations.
Last updated March 2025