The study calls for linking emissions reductions to reliable services and equitable financing, and proposes monitoring water access and extreme heat
The National Human Rights Commission, including the Committee for the Prevention of Torture, has released a study entitled “Climate Change and Human Rights in Lebanon: The Emerging Role of National Human Rights Institutions”, coinciding with the 31st United Nations Climate Change Conference, COP31, in Antalya, Türkiye. The study examines how climate commitments can translate into effective protection of rights in Lebanon, amid fragile public services, economic crisis and the consequences of conflict.
It concludes that assessing climate action requires examining its effects on life, health, water, housing and work, alongside measuring emissions. It proposes an approach that connects legal obligations, responsible institutions, financing and evidence of implementation, enabling people to assess changes in the services and decisions affecting their lives.
Three main findings on Lebanon
The study identifies three principal findings: an existing legal framework that can support monitoring, access to information and environmental assessment; climate plans and commitments that are more recent than much of the data available to measure their implementation; and a need to connect emissions inventories and financing with clear results showing how benefits and burdens are distributed across regions and population groups.
It reviews Lebanon’s climate documents, including the Fourth National Communication, the First Biennial Transparency Report and its technical review, the Third Nationally Determined Contribution, the National Adaptation Plan and the study on derisking renewable energy investment. It also draws on published UNICEF data and World Bank assessments of services, damage and recovery.
The study explains the limits of its findings as a documentary, legal and policy review, with a research cut-off date of 12 November 2026. It identifies published evidence, information gaps and questions requiring verification. Establishing individual violations or independently measuring water quality, heat exposure and disbursement of financing requires additional fieldwork and technical assessment.
Emissions reductions require a human rights assessment
The study notes that Lebanon’s First Biennial Transparency Report records gross emissions of approximately 20.52 million tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent in 2022, around 32% below 2019 levels, with energy, including transport, accounting for 77% of the total.
It stresses the importance of interpreting these figures in context. The report links the reduction to declining electricity generation, economic activity and fuel availability, and records an 85% decline in Électricité du Liban’s generation between 2019 and 2022. The study concludes that an improved carbon indicator can coincide with deteriorating essential services. Assessing a just transition therefore requires examining electricity reliability, costs and the alternatives available to households.
It also distinguishes these historical figures from the Third Nationally Determined Contribution’s targets for 2035: an unconditional emissions reduction of 22%, rising to 33% conditional on international support, compared with a business-as-usual scenario. It underlines the need to clarify the reference scenario and sectoral coverage when interpreting and comparing these percentages.
Water, energy and reconstruction are interconnected
The study presents water as a practical example of the links between climate, energy, maintenance and financial capacity. It reviews UNICEF data reporting more than 500 repairs to water systems in 2024, helping sustain public water supply for over four million users. It explains that these activity figures must be complemented by evidence on water adequacy, quality, reliability and the cost of alternative supplies.
It examines the rehabilitated pumping station in Chekka and the solar installation in Dar Baashtar, whose opening was announced in June 2025, as local examples of connecting energy provision with continuity of water services. It identifies questions concerning continued operation and maintenance, and whether benefits reach households at the ends of networks and those least able to afford alternatives, without prejudging the findings.
On reconstruction, the study calls for climate risks and continuity of services to inform project selection and design, together with safeguards for housing, livelihoods, participation and complaints. It distinguishes conflict damage from climate risks while examining how their interaction can increase vulnerability and complicate recovery.
The Antalya summit and expected outcomes
COP31 takes place from 9 to 20 November 2026, hosted and presided over by Türkiye, with Australia leading the negotiations. The Leaders’ Summit takes place on 11 and 12 November, as part of international efforts to advance implementation of the Paris Agreement.
The agenda includes emissions reductions, adaptation, climate finance for developing countries and a just transition for workers and communities. The conference emphasizes translating commitments into implementation, alongside solutions in health, food, energy, transport and climate-resilient cities.
From the study’s perspective, Lebanon’s priority is to translate the summit’s outcomes into measures protecting water, health and essential services, supported by clear financing, responsibilities and timelines. This requires distinguishing announced, approved, contracted and disbursed financing, as well as construction costs from operating and maintenance costs.
The conference’s overall results will depend on its final decisions, their subsequent implementation nationally and their effects on the most exposed regions and population groups.
GANHRI and national human rights institutions at the summit
The study’s release aligns with the **Global Alliance of National Human Rights Institutions’—GANHRI—**call, published on 2 November 2026, to place human rights at the centre of COP31 decisions.
GANHRI’s priorities include stronger emissions reductions through rights-based laws and policies; finance that reaches communities; adaptation and loss and damage responses reflecting affected people’s realities; and a just transition, participation and independent scrutiny. A joint side event with the Raoul Wallenberg Institute was also announced for 10 November, focusing on the role of national human rights institutions in climate action and climate justice.
This engagement strengthens the connection between international negotiations and national oversight through shared experience, monitoring, advice and the participation of affected communities. The Commission’s study provides a Lebanese framework for using these tools within its legal mandate and available resources.
A proposed Commission programme starting in three locations
The study proposes an initial one-year programme addressing the right to water and protection from extreme heat in three locations selected according to exposure, deprivation, lack of alternatives and safe access: a densely populated urban area, a locality with fluctuating water services and a rural location where outdoor work is prominent.
The proposed programme has four phases:
- Months 1–3: Approve the scope, team and resources; establish confidentiality, consent and referral procedures; request service records; and establish a baseline or document gaps.
- Months 4–6: Conduct an initial 30 qualitative interviews and at least six verification visits, subject to safety and access; compare accounts with available records; and immediately refer urgent risks.
- Months 7–9: Analyse evidence, conduct technical and legal reviews, give relevant authorities an opportunity to respond, and publish a thematic report and accessible summary.
- Months 10–12: Follow up responses to recommendations, publish an implementation tracker, review results and reach a reasoned decision on expansion.
The study clarifies that the proposed sample supports qualitative understanding and local verification; it is not a statistically representative survey of Lebanon. It also identifies initial coordination, monitoring, legal review and technical expertise requirements, with costs to be assessed locally and resources approved before implementation.
Following up summit outcomes within the Commission’s mandate
The study defines the Commission’s role through independent human rights monitoring, advice, complaints handling and cooperation. Implementation of policies and operation of services remain the responsibility of the competent authorities.
Within this framework, follow-up to COP31 could include reviewing its relevance to national plans and budgets, requesting implementation and financing information, assessing projects’ effects on residents, reporting verified findings to international mechanisms and incorporating resulting recommendations into local follow-up.
Proposed indicators include days of water interruption, household expenditure on water and alternatives relative to income, testing of service continuity arrangements, time to the first response to urgent reports, and recommendations whose implementation has been verified. Evaluation distinguishes completed activities, institutional changes and actual effects on rights holders.
The study also recommends integrating heat, water and energy risks into the Committee for the Prevention of Torture’s preventive visiting tools, in accordance with its distinct mandate and procedures, while protecting confidentiality and individuals.
Recommendations to authorities and partners
The study calls on the Council of Ministers and relevant ministries to establish a priority register for the Nationally Determined Contribution and National Adaptation Plan, identifying responsibilities, resources and deadlines. It prioritizes continuity of water and healthcare services and heat protection arrangements for workers that address water, shade, rest and wages.
It recommends applying project-level and strategic environmental assessments where required, incorporating human rights assessment early, supporting municipalities’ warning and evacuation plans, and establishing regular parliamentary and oversight reviews of financing, implementation and results.
It emphasizes protecting those most at risk, facilitating complaints and ensuring that urgent assistance does not depend on proving climate responsibility. It also calls on funders and companies to incorporate rights safeguards, participation and maintenance into financing and contracts, and to support sustainable local capacity while preserving the Commission’s independence.
The programme and implementation measures remain proposals for institutional consideration and approval within the relevant mandates and resources. The study sets a clear benchmark for their assessment: documented improvements in protection of life, continuity of services, and equitable access to information, participation and remedies.
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