Climate change and human rights: a review of international commitments and progress derived from the Paris Agreement in Central America 2015-2022

Abstract

The article provides a general look at the thematic priorities, language, and concrete actions in the area of human rights that Central American countries have incorporated into public policies on climate change since the adoption of the Paris Agreement in 2015. For this, the article identifies and systematizes advances in the seven Central American countries between 2015 and 2022, favoring policies and commitments on climate action that respond to this international agreement, among these, nationally determined contributions (NDCs) and National Adaptation Plans (NAPs). It is observed that, in a period of six years, the countries of the area expanded the contents and scopes of their first NDCs, resulting in concrete ambitious actions, goals and commitments for the protection of the human rights of populations in particular conditions of vulnerability. The multiple actions and future commitments in relation to the links between gender and climate change stand out, which occupy a preponderant place within the strategies and transversal axes of the NDCs, plans and other policies on climate change.