Dr Ian Fry from The Fenner School of Environment and Society at Australian National University (ANU) has become the world's first special rapporteur for human rights and climate change, in an appointment made by the United Nations overnight.

He will take on the role of Special Rapporteur on the promotion and protection of Human Rights in the Context of Climate Change for the next three years, a position created by the United Nations Human Rights Council in October 2021.

Dr Fry is a part-time lecturer at the ANU Fenner School of Environment and Society. He is a dual citizen of Tuvalu and Australia and was Tuvalu's Ambassador for Climate Change and Environment between 2015-2019. He has worked for the Tuvalu government for over 21 years and has been a lead negotiator for Least Developed Countries on the Paris Agreement.

The Special Rapporteur is a part-time and unpaid position and will have a number of responsibilities. These include studying and identifying the adverse effects of climate change and human rights, and blending indigenous and traditional knowledge with respect to climate change.

"I am truly honoured and feel a deep sense of responsibility in taking on this position. It is an enormous challenge," Dr Fry said.

"I particularly want to thank the governments of Tuvalu and the Republic of the Marshall Islands for their tireless efforts in lobbying to get the position of Special Rapporteur created in the first place."

Dr Fry is a part-time senior lecturer at the Fenner School of Environment and Society and convenes Environmental Policy and International Environmental Policy.

For the full story, and more analysis and nuance from Dr Ian Fry, visit the ANU Media news story here.