Climate refugees must not be denied the right to asylum if their lives are in danger – this is the conclusion reached by a UN Human Rights Committee (MRR), which dealt with the complaint of a person affected for the first time. The UN Human Rights Office described the decision in Geneva today as „historic“.
The committee rejected the specific complaint of a man from the Pacific island state of Kiribati against the expulsion of his family from New Zealand in 2015. In principle, climate issues could play a role in asylum procedures. „This decision establishes new standards that can make success in future asylum applications related to the effects of climate change easier,“ said one of the committee experts, Yuval Shany.
The Kiribati man, Ioane Teitiota, had argued that rising sea levels made the islands of his home state uninhabitable. Among other things, the area for agriculture is declining and the drinking water is contaminated by salt water. The former British colony with around 120,000 inhabitants on numerous islands has a total of just over 800 square kilometers of land. The main island of Tarawa is less than 300 meters wide in some places.
Proof of sufficient protective mechanisms
In the case of Teitiota, it was proven that Kiribati had sufficient protection mechanisms for the population, the committee said. However, he determined that countries should not deport asylum seekers if the climate-related situation in their home threatened their right to life, as reported by the UN Human Rights Office.
The Committee monitors compliance with the „International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights“ by the countries that have signed it. That is 172 countries, including Austria – but the government ratified it in 1978 with reservations. Of the 172 states, 116 recognize the right of individuals to complain of violations. You are obliged to adhere to the requirements of the committee.
