KOTA KINABALU: Commonwealth lawyers concluded the three-day Borneo Rainforest Law Conference with a 10-point declaration, including the Sabah Declaration on Climate Justice.
Dubbed the Sabah Declaration on Climate Justice, the grouping of Commonwealth Lawyers Association called for climate-vulnerable groups, particularly children and youth, women and girls and Indigenous peoples, to be empowered to assert their rights and participate actively and effectively in decision-making processes that shape climate action.
It also called for freedom of expression and the right to peacefully protest in support of climate action to be protected.
They also called for firm legal frameworks aligned with the best available science, protection of human rights, adherence to the rule of law and promotion of sustainable development and the intrinsic rights of nature.
The declaration also included the need for legal frameworks that seamlessly integrate international obligations into domestic law, ensuring fairness, accountability and just outcomes within accessible justice institutions.
It stressed that climate action by governments should be grounded in the best available science, justice, and the rule of law, spanning priority policy areas such as health, education, gender equality, food safety, energy and economic development.
Climate finance initiatives adhe-ring to principles of the rule of law, good governance and respect for human rights, while promoting the value of green economies to facilitate the transition to a low-carbon future should also be observed.
Additionally, it underscored the necessity of just and inclusive governance of natural resources to protect human rights, foster peace and economic stability and prevent conflicts exacerbated by environmental degradation and resource scarcity.
The declaration urged nations to transition towards renewable resource use and nature-based solutions urgently, developing plans to reduce greenhouse gas emissions across their economies while upholding human rights and the rule of law.
Business enterprises should respect human rights and transition to sustainable practices within defined time frames, consistent with the right to a clean, healthy and sustainable environment.
Finally, the declaration called on individual lawyers to urgently address the causes and consequences of the climate and ecological crises, advocating for a just transition to a low emissions future.
The conference, which ended on Wednesday, was organised the by Commonwealth Lawyers Association and Sabah Law Society. It was opened by Chief Judge of Sabah and Sarawak Tan Sri Abdul Rahman Sebli.
The lawyers who participated discussed various legal issues facing their countries and the changing need for countries to align laws and approaches to meet the challenges of climate change.
