Advancing the conversation around climate change and human rights
In June 2025 the University of Oxford hosted a global summit on climate change and human rights in partnership with UN Human Rights, the Right Here, Right Now Global Climate Alliance, the International Universities Climate Alliance, and co-host universities across the world.
Watch the 24-hour global plenary on demand
The cornerstone of the summit was a hybrid global event on World Environment Day, 5th of June 2025. Leading thinkers and practitioners at the intersection of climate change and human rights gathered together for a 24-hour global plenary, broadcast across time zones. Co-created and co-delivered by universities across the world, the plenary followed the sun as we passed the baton between different regions.
Download the full plenary programme here, and watch the session recordings here.
Local activities and events
In association with the summit, groups across Oxford University and local environmental groups hosted activities themed around climate justice, including talks, exhibitions, a concert, and more. Recordings and write-ups of a selection of these events will soon be available on the summit's main webpage.
Schools and educators
As part of the summit, Oxford's Public and Community Engagement with Research fund supported a Climate Justice Education project. This resulted in a series of educational activities and materials for educators, with a focus on secondary school teachers. Download the Educational Resources Pack (PDF) and the slides for eight lessons (PPT) below.
Lesson 1 - Human rights and climate change
Lesson 4 - Attribution science
Lesson 5 - Climate litigation careers
Lesson 6 - War, human rights and climate change
Lesson 7 - Business, human rights and climate change
Lesson 8 - Climate justice in South Africa
Summit contact email: rhrn@admin.ox.ac.uk
Media enquiries: news.office@admin.ox.ac.uk
Our partners
UN Human Rights
Right Here Right Now Global Climate Alliance
International Universities Climate Alliance
University hubs and content partners
Oxford launch and global plenary contribution
A global dialogue
"With our well-established and world-leading expertise in climate-related research and teaching, the University of Oxford is proud to be the Academic Partner for the Right Here, Right Now Global Climate Alliance. We are thrilled to have the opportunity to host this pivotal summit with UN Human Rights, bringing together leaders in human rights and climate research from around the world, across a wide range of disciplines with the common goal of finding solutions to one of the most pressing issues of our times, climate change," Vice Chancellor Professor Irene Tracey.
Visit the main summit webpage for updates.
The 2025 summit's key objectives are:
- Advancing human-rights solutions to the climate crises
- Celebrating and elevating the voices of environmental human-rights defenders
- Reinforcing and bringing together key elements of the global climate-justice movement while minimising carbon footprint
- Empowering and inspiring people, especially students, as agents for climate justice now, and in future careers.
In 2022, the University of Colorado Boulder hosted the inaugural Right Here, Right Now Global Climate Summit. It focussed on three themes:
- The impact of climate change and human rights
- Human-rights obligations and responsibilities related to climate change
- Developing climate policies and calls to action that are grounded in respect for human rights.
We are delighted that the University of Colorado Boulder will be one of the international co-hosts of the 2025 summit.
Keynote speeches and panels from the 2022 summit are available to watch online.
2022 Summit Panelists Elena Sánchez Nicolás, Ewi Stephanie Lamma, Julieta Martinez, Monica Neupane, Hilda Flavia Nakabuye. Photo courtesy of the University of Colorado Boulder.
Volker Türk, UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, at the 2025 summit. Photo: John Cairns