Here is part of a series of 3 photo blogs from a Special Rapporteur on Economic, Social, Cultural, and Environmental Rights (REDESCA). Soledad García Muñoz visited sites in Alaska and Louisiana with photos in the 3 parts of this series. The Unitarian Universalist Service Committee was part of this effort.
Indigenous Lives and The Climate Crisis: A Photo Essay Series
UUSC works with Native communities in Alaska and Louisiana to call attention to climate change and injustice—on a global scale. by Mike Givens
"Native communities across the United States are helping to lead the global call for a definitive and effective response to climate change. Daily, Indigenous coastal communities—from California to Maine, Alaska to Nevada—live with the life-altering impacts of climate change.
Several communities in Alaska and Louisiana took the initiative to reach out to an international human rights body with an urgent request: Visit their communities and learn firsthand about the climate change impacts they are experiencing—and the injustices they’ve lived through as a result.
The Organization of American States (OAS) is a 75-year-old institution founded to bring together nations across North, South, and Central Americas to address conflicts and challenges faced by these countries. Twenty-one countries founded OAS in 1948 and the number of member nations has grown to 35. The purpose of OAS is to serve as a diplomatic and political convener for the Americas, navigating conflict, promoting solidarity, and encouraging collaboration.
In the late 1950s, the OAS established the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights (IACHR) to serve as a human rights observer and documentarian for the member nations. There are 13 thematic human rights issues that the IACHR covers, from the rights of Indigenous peoples, women, and people in migration to the rights of older persons, people with disabilities, and those defending human rights.
The Special Rapporteur on Economic, Social, Cultural, and Environmental Rights (REDESCA) was established in 2017 and heard an urgent request from Alaskan and Louisianan Native communities for support in addressing the human rights violations that accompanied the climate crisis. Earlier this year, the Special Rapporteur, Soledad García Muñoz, agreed to visit these communities and document their struggles. In May, she spent a week touring these coastal communities—first Louisiana, then Alaska—to understand what these communities are experiencing.
On July 24, the Special Rapporteur will hold (HELD) an event in Washington, D.C. to announce its findings and make solid recommendations for the state and federal governments to better support coastal communities in Louisiana and Alaska. Stay tuned for a detailed analysis of the recommendations and the next steps for these Indigenous communities.
In solidarity, Salote Soqo
Director of Advocacy, Global Displacement
Unitarian Universalist Service Committee
Unitarian Universalist Service Committee
The Unitarian Universalist Service Committee advances human rights through grassroots collaborations.
