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Rome, 8 July 2024. Fifteen years passed since Prof. Elisa Morgera had the experience of working as an Associate Legal Officer at the Development Law Service of the FAO Legal Office (LEGN), a role she performed from 2006 to 2009. Now, in her new capacity as the Special Rapporteur (SR) on the promotion of human rights in the context of climate change,[1] Elisa met LEGN colleagues with a view to sharing information on her mandate as SR, the current projects of LEGN related to her mandate as well as exploring ideas for continued and future collaboration. Since Elisa engaged in academia, she has built a strong long-standing collaboration with LEGN on a range of different activities, including more recently a legal paper on the interdependence of human rights and a healthy environment, a policy brief on the human rights-based approach to small-scale fisheries, and an eLearning course on legal and policy considerations for sustainable small-scale fisheries. LEGN has recently contributed technical inputs to the SR’s forthcoming report on access to information on climate change and human rights, and will continue to strengthen this collaboration, building upon ongoing projects, including the Sustainable Wildlife Programme (SWM), the Global Environment Facility (GEF)-8, and the new LEGN-led Agrifood Systems Law Implementation, Compliance and Enforcement (ACE) Programme.

Elisa drew attention to her first report on the importance of intersectionality, published on 21 June 2024, in which she identifies good practices, challenges and opportunities for supporting policy coherence and increased cooperation on human rights-based, gender-responsive, age-sensitive, disability-inclusive and risk-informed approaches to climate change, in the context of climate change mitigation, adaptation, just transition, climate finance, and loss and damage.

Elisa’s appointment was confirmed at the 55^th session of the Human Rights Council, held from 26 February to 5 April 2024, and is expected to serve for two subsequent three-year mandates. Her mandate includes activities which are closely linked or related to the work of LEGN, such as: strengthening the integration of human rights issues into legislation addressing climate change; making recommendations on the respect for and promotion of human rights; identifying how good practices, strategies and policies contribute to the promotion and protection of human rights and poverty alleviation; Facilitating and contributing to exchange of technical assistance, capacity building and international cooperation to address the impacts of climate change on the enjoyment of human rights.