JOINT CIVIL SOCIETY LETTER

Rt Hon Alok Sharma
COP26 President Designate
Cabinet Office
70 Whitehall,London
SW1A 2AS

26 October 2021

CC: Ms. Patricia Espinosa, Executive Secretary, United Nations Framework Convention on
Climate Change
Dear President Delegate, Rt Hon Alok Sharma

How can COP26 address climate change and modern slavery?
The world is experiencing climate breakdown and an era where the provision of humanrights and dignity is stalling. Something is broken and the status quo will not fix it.
This is the decade in which we must both collectively limit climate change and make oursocieties more equal and just. Otherwise, we will emerge from the global pandemic locked
into a climate and poverty emergency in which already marginalised people become
exploited though forced labour, child slavery and forced marriage, and human trafficking.
COP26 must deliver on the vision of a global, just and transformational recovery that
integrates, defends and expands human rights; and reduces inequality by prioritizing theneeds of the most affected, marginalised and discriminated people.
COP26 is also an important test of the Paris Agreement and an opportunity forgovernments of the world to raise their ambition in response to the climate crisis.
Our recommendations for COP26 are that governments should:
••

•

•

Recognise the link between climate-induced migration and modern slavery and include
it as an action in climate targets and create provision in the Green Climate Fund (GCF)
for migration and modern slavery related responses.
Include and track the progress of climate-induced migration/displacement and antislavery actions in Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) and National Adaptation
Plans through Adaptation Committees.
Consider the need to address climate-induced risks of modern slavery in the Warsaw
International Mechanism Task Force on Displacement (WIM TFD) recommendations toavert, minimise and address displacement related to the adverse impacts of climatechange.
Use the opportunity of a Just Transition to sustainable renewable energy to provide
decent work for all workers in the renewable energy sector, and tackle instances whereforced labour is used in mineral extraction and manufacture of solar panels andrenewable energy supply chains.

Evidence shows that climate change impacts are already increasing vulnerability to modernslavery. While several overlapping socio-economic, political, cultural and institutional risks
shape vulnerability, they are increasingly evidenced to be made worse by climate change
impacts and environmental degradation.
Forced labour is also often found in climate destructive industries. In many parts of theworld, development models based on resource extraction and export-oriented agribusiness
are worsening vulnerability to exploitation and modern slavery by monopolising land andresources, polluting the soil, air and water, destroying ecosystems, and driving
displacement.1 2
In addition, low-income countries are exposed to some of the most severe climate impacts,and have the least capacity to adapt and find it hardest to recover from the loss and damage
caused by devastating floods, droughts, heatwaves, cyclones, and rising sea levels.
In many cases these conditions lead to people being forced to migrate and leave the lands
or the jobs that can no longer provide them with a living.3 In an increasing number of cases
this makes them open to exploitation, trafficking and modern slavery.4 The WorldBank predicts that as many as 143 million people will migrate within their own borders injust three regions of the world by 2050 unless action is taken to address climate change.
30.1 million weather-related displacements took place in 2020, including 9.8 million
affecting children according to IDMC and UNICEF UK.
An integrated social, economic, and environmental response is needed that builds theresilience of vulnerable populations to climate impacts and modern slavery together.
Yours sincerely,
Jasmine O’Connor OBE CEO

Anti-Slavery International

Nick Grono

CEOThe Freedom Fund

Philippe Sion

Managing Director

Humanity United

Kristen AbramsSenior Director, Combatting
Human Trafficking

The McCain InstituteAlex TheirCEO

Global Fund to End ModernSlavery

Climate-induced migration and modern slavery: A toolkit for policy makers. Anti-Slavery International and International
Institute for Environment and Development (2021). Available at: https://www.antislavery.org/wpcontent/uploads/2021/09/ClimateMigrationReportSep2021_low_res.pdf
2
From a Vicious to a Virtuous Circle: Addressing climate change, environmental destruction and contemporary slavery,
Executive Summary. Anti-Slavery International (2021). Available at: https://www.antislavery.org/wpcontent/uploads/2021/04/ASI_ViciousCycle_Report_ExecSummary2.pdf
3Migrants and their vulnerability to Human Trafficking, Modern Slavery and Exploitation. International Organization forMigration (2019). Available at https://publications.iom.int/system/files/pdf/migrants_and_their_vulnerability.pdf
4
Murky Waters: A qualitative assessment of modern slavery in the pacific region. Walk Free (2020). Available at:1

https://www.walkfree.org/reports/murky-waters/

Signatories continued
Mohamad Abdi

National Coordinator

Destructive Fishing Watch
Indonesia

Steven Trent

CEO / Founder

Environmental Justice Foundation

Joanna Ewart-James

Executive DirectorFreedom UnitedZelda Keller

Executive Director

The Institute for Climate andPeace

Yuka Iwatsuki

President and Co-Founder

Action against Child Exploitation

Olga Martin-Ortega

LeaderBusiness, Human Rights andEnvironment Research Group

Aloysius Arockiam

Director

SAVE - Social Awareness andVoluntary Education - India

Carolina Rudnick

President

Fundación Libera contra la Trata
de Personas y la Esclavitud en
Todas sus Formas - Chile

Rosie Riley

Founder and CEO, GP
Registrar

VITA Network, VITA Training Ltd.

Laura Wood

Research Director, Pediatrician

Sarah Boutros

Pediatric Registrar

Jordan Lin

Blog Coordinator

Ishaan ShahFounder

Stolen Dreams

Saphia Fleury

Researcher

University of Hull

Sneh Aurora

Director

Commonwealth Human Rights
Initiative

Colleen TheronCEOArdea International

David Westlake

CEOInternational Justice Mission UKDavid Hillman

Director

Stamp Out Poverty

Charlotte Kennedy

Head of Campaigns andCommunications

Robin Hood Tax

Dominique Muller

Policy Director

Labour Behind the Label

Mike Dottridge

Expert on human trafficking

Former trustee of UN Fund oncontemporary forms of slavery

Andrew Wallis OBE

CEOUnseen

Christian Guy

CEO

Justice and Care

Stephen McCloskey

CEOCentre for Global Education

Rachel Phillips Rigby

Human Rights LeadRainforest AllianceDonna RobinsonAttorney

Robinson Law Office, LLC

Terry Collingsworth

Executive Director

IRAdvocates

Caroline Downey

Executive Director

Women Working Worldwide

Habte Hagos

Chairman

Eritrea Focus

Mark DearnDirector

Corporate Justice Coalition

Shakirul Islam

Chairperson

Ovibashi Karmi Unnayan Program(OKUP) – Bangladesh

James Kofi Annan

President

Challenging Heights

Enock Dery Pufaa

Senior Manager, Impact

Peter McAllister

Executive Director

Ethical Trading Initiative

Kath Dalmeny

Chief Executive

Sustain: The alliance for better
food and farmingGema Fernández
Rodríguez de Liévana

Managing Attorney

Women’s Link WorldwideHideki Wakabayashi

Executive Director

JANIC

Shom Luitel

Advisor

People Forum for Human rights

Dr Carole Murphy andDr Ruth Van Dyke

Co-Directors

Bakhita Centre for Research on
Slavery, Exploitation and Abuse,
St Mary’s University

Phil Bloomer

Executive Director

Business & Human Rights
Resource Centre (BHRRC)

Dr Chris O’Connell

Researcher

Dublin City University

Dr Caitríona Ní
Cassaithe

Lecturer

Tim Nelson

CEOHope for Justice and Slave Free
Alliance

Victoria Marks

Director

Anti-Trafficking and Labour
Exploitation Unit

Kate Garbers

Modern Slavery Consultant

Independent

Xavier Plassat

Coordinator of CPT´sCampaign against Slavery

Pastoral Land Commission (CPT,Brazil))

Pablo Iturralde

Executive Director

Centro de Derechos Económicos
Sociales y Culturales del Ecuador

Akiko Sato

Deputy Secretary General

Human Rights Now

Julia de BoinvilleCo-founder

The Anti - Slavery Collective

Isabella Clarke-Price

Associate Director

Minh Dang

Executive Director

Survivor Alliance

Laura Murphy

Professor

Helena Kennedy Centre, Sheffield
Hallam University

Carry Somers

Co-founder and Global
Operations Director

Fashion Revolution

Leonardo Sakamoto

President Director

Repórter Brasil

Miguel Gonzales G.

Director Ejecutivo

INFANTE-Promoción Integral dela Mujer y la Infancia

Charity Ryerson

Executive Director

Corporate Accountability Lab

Katherine Mulhern

CEORestitution

Karen Snyder

Anti-human trafficking
evaluator and researcher

Independent consultant

Mireille Kayijamahe

Director of Development

Well Grounded