Scottish Government
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Right to water
Scotland champions climate justice on Human Rights Day.
Almost 30,000 people in Malawi now have access to clean, safe water thanks to the Scottish Government’s Climate Justice Fund.
The innovative scheme helps some of the world’s poorest and most vulnerable people who suffer the worst from climate change.
The progress made so far was confirmed on Human Rights Day by Scotland’s Minister for Environment and Climate Change Aileen McLeod who is attending UN talks on climate change in Lima, Peru.
Dr McLeod said yesterday:
“Access to safe and clean drinking water and sanitation is a fundamental human right. It is the foundation upon which all other human rights are based.
“Climate change is a very real threat to this basic human right and the people who have done the least to contribute to climate change suffer first and suffer the most.
“That is why the Scottish Government continues to champion climate justice at home and abroad, and last year doubled funding for our Climate Justice Fund to £6 million. Scotland’s National Action Plan for Human Rights – which celebrates its first birthday today – contains an explicit commitment for us to continue this approach.
“The Fund is already delivering real results on the ground, with the first round so far giving almost 30,000 people in Malawi access to clean, safe water and providing a further 60 treadle pumps to improve irrigation in Zambia.
“Although Scotland operates a modest budget we are leading by example and I encourage other nations to use their larger budgets to follow our lead and tackle climate justice.”
Mary Robinson, former President of Ireland and President of the Mary Robinson Foundation – Climate Justice said:
“Climate change is the greatest threat to human rights of the 21st Century. Perhaps more than any other problem humanity has faced, climate change confronts us with the reality of our interdependence. No country alone can protect their citizens from the impacts of dangerous climate change; climate change observes no boundaries. We must all act together ensure that any response to climate change respects, protects, promotes and fulfils human rights.”
Notes To Editors
The Climate Justice Fund demonstrates Scotland’s role in championing climate justice and in supporting the development of climate adaptation solutions. It is supported by £6 million from Hydro Nation. Further details on Scotland’s National Action Plan for Human Rights can be found athttp://www.scottishhumanrights.com/actionplan
The first £3 million round of the Climate Justice Fund is supporting five water adaptation projects in Malawi and Zambia. To date, 29,184 people now have access to clean and safe water Malawi and 60 treadle pumps have been distributed to improve irrigation and agricultural productivity in Zambia.
The second round of the Climate Justice Fund is supporting a further six projects in Sub-Saharan Africa:http://news.scotland.gov.uk/News/African-climate-justice-support-1108.aspx
The Climate Justice Fund is funded by the Hydro Nation initiativehttp://www.scotland.gov.uk/Topics/Business-Industry/waterindustryscot/ScotlandtheHydroNation
For more details on climate justice and previous recipients of the Climate Justice Fund please visithttp://www.scotland.gov.uk/Topics/Environment/climatechange/climatejusticefund
