Geneva (Human Rights Council) 8 September 2026 (SPS)– Mr. Geraldo Gonçalves Miguel Saranga, the Ambassador of the Republic of Mozambique to the United Nations and International Organizations in Geneva, affirmed on Tuesday that climate change, human rights, environmental protection, natural resources, and peoples’ right to determine their own future are “deeply interconnected,” stressing that the global transition towards renewable energy must be a just transition.
The ambassador made the remarks in his opening statement at a seminar held on the sidelines of the 63rd session of the UN Human Rights Council, under the theme “Climate Justice and Human Rights in the Context of Foreign Occupation.” The seminar was held at the Council’s headquarters in Geneva from 2:00 to 3:00 p.m., under the auspices of the Geneva Group for Support of Western Sahara, which he chairs this year.
The Mozambican ambassador explained that the seminar brings together questions that are often addressed separately, concerning climate change, human rights, environmental protection, natural resources, and peoples’ right to determine their future, stressing that these issues are closely interconnected.
He said that Mozambique, as an African country facing the consequences of climate change, understands that environmental challenges are not merely abstract issues, but directly affect livelihoods, food security, communities, and development itself. He noted that the response to climate change cannot be reduced to technological solutions alone.
He added that the desired transition must also be a “just transition,” explaining that justice requires consideration not only of what environmental solutions are being developed, but also where they are being developed, how they are being developed, for whose benefit, and with whose participation.
The ambassador stressed that these considerations are particularly important in territories under foreign occupation or where the question of self-determination remains unresolved, considering Western Sahara an important context in which to examine these principles.
In this regard, he noted that the territory possesses significant natural resources and considerable renewable-energy potential, and that economic activities have developed around phosphate, fisheries, and energy, while new investments linked to the global transition towards renewable energy have also begun to emerge.
The Mozambican ambassador underscored the importance of renewable energy in addressing the climate crisis, but stressed that the fact that an activity is renewable does not, in itself, answer the broader questions concerning respect for the law, participation, equity, and justice.
Against this backdrop, the African diplomat raised a number of questions: Who decides how these resources are used? Who benefits from them? Who bears their environmental and social consequences? And have the people whose lands and resources are concerned participated meaningfully in these decisions?
He stressed that these questions are particularly important in the context of Western Sahara because, as he pointed out, the exploitation of natural resources cannot be considered separately from the right of the Sahrawi people to self-determination.
He noted that international law has long recognized the right of peoples to freely dispose of their natural wealth and resources, explaining that this principle is not merely economic, but is closely linked to dignity, participation, and peoples’ ability to shape their own development.
Accordingly, he affirmed that environmental governance in a territory under foreign occupation cannot be addressed solely through the language of investment, infrastructure, and economic growth, but must also be approached through the lenses of rights, accountability, and participation.
Addressing the global transition towards clean energy, the Mozambican ambassador said that the world is rightly mobilizing significant resources to accelerate renewable energy and reduce dependence on fossil fuels. He noted that Africa possesses enormous renewable-energy potential and should be a major beneficiary of this transition, which must not lead to a new form of competition over resources, whereby the urgent need for climate action becomes a justification for disregarding the rights of peoples.
“The transition cannot be considered just if the people concerned are absent from the decisions that shape their future,” he said.
He also stressed that environmental sustainability cannot be separated from questions of governance, noting that the protection of ecosystems, responsible management of natural resources, and respect for human rights should reinforce one another.
In this context, he emphasized the importance of meaningful participation, explaining that participation should not be understood merely as consultation after decisions have already been taken. Rather, it should mean that the people concerned have a genuine opportunity to influence decisions affecting their lands, natural resources, environment, and development priorities.
He affirmed that this issue is particularly important when projects are large-scale, long-term, and capable of fundamentally transforming ecosystems and local economies.
The ambassador affirmed that Mozambique believes that the principles of climate justice should be applied consistently, including in situations where political and territorial questions remain unresolved.
He stressed that “the green transition must not become a means of normalizing situations that international law continues to address,” while calling for the broader objective to remain in view: ensuring that climate action contributes to sustainable development, protects human rights, and leaves no people behind.
He considered that the discussion on Western Sahara concerns not only one territory, but also poses a broader question to the international community: whether it is possible to build a truly just global transition while separating environmental sustainability from human rights, self-determination, and international law.
Mozambique, he said, believes that these issues cannot be separated, noting that a credible climate agenda must be environmentally sound, a credible human rights agenda must protect the rights of people affected by development, and a credible international system must ensure that economic activities do not come at the expense of fundamental principles.
Concluding his statement, the Mozambican ambassador reaffirmed his country’s commitment to multilateralism, the principles of the UN Charter, the right of peoples to self-determination, and a climate response grounded in equity and justice.
He also welcomed the discussion and encouraged continued reflection on how international law, human rights, and environmental protection can guide economic and energy policies in territories under foreign occupation.
He concluded by stressing that climate justice is not only about the future of the planet, but also about who has the right to shape that future.
It should be recalled that this Side-Event was attended by a number of experts and political and human rights figures. Ambassador Geraldo Gonçalves Miguel Saranga, Permanent Representative of Mozambique and current Chair of the Geneva Group for Western Sahara, delivered the opening remarks, while Ambassador Ubbi Bouchraia Bachir, Special Adviser to the President of the Sahrawi Republic and Head of the Working Group on Natural Resources and Related Legal Matters, delivered the closing remarks.
The participants also heard interventions from Miguel Urbán Crespo, a former Spanish Member of the European Parliament (2015–2024) and political activist known for his engagement with human rights, international justice and the Western Sahara issue; British Dr. Nick Brooks, a specialist in human-environment interactions and climate change adaptation; and Eric Hagen, a Norwegian board member of the Western Sahara Resource Watch (WSRW), who has followed the involvement of foreign companies in the exploitation of Western Sahara’s resources since 2002 and also serves as Director of the Norwegian Support Committee for Western Sahara.
Dr. Andrea Maria Pelliconi, Lecturer in Human Rights Law at the University of Southampton and a researcher on demographic engineering, forced displacement, settler colonialism, apartheid and genocide in international law, also took part in the seminar. The event was moderated by South African environmental and human rights activist Catherine Constantinides. (SPS)
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