Maputo, Oct. 2, 2026 (Lusa) - The UN Special Rapporteur on human rights and climate change, Elisa Morgera, on Friday recommended that Mozambique reassess its plans for the expansion of fossil fuels, including the petrochemical complex, in light of the climate risks and impacts on human rights.
During a press conference in Maputo to present the preliminary findings of her visit to the country, Morgera argued that decisions regarding Mozambique's economic trajectory must take into account the effects of climate change, environmental protection and human rights.
«It is therefore very important that Mozambique seizes this historic opportunity and also recognises the role of human rights in developing a clear and integrated vision of a climate-resilient economy,» she said, calling for a reassessment of plans to expand fossil fuel use and the construction of the petrochemical complex.
Morgera considered projects located in areas of high biodiversity to be of particular concern and called for an independent assessment of the impacts of coal mining and fossil fuel production on human rights, including the rights to health, food, water, housing and a healthy environment.
«Furthermore, an independent assessment is needed of the human rights impacts already resulting from coal mining and other fossil fuel production activities,» she stated, arguing that such studies should help to understand the causes of the damage, its impacts and the responsibilities of companies.
She warned that Mozambique is among the countries most vulnerable to the effects of climate change, despite having contributed little to the phenomenon, with droughts, cyclones and floods expected to worsen against a backdrop of rising global temperatures.
Morgera also advocated an economic path less dependent on fossil fuels, based on a greater commitment to renewable energy and community-led initiatives, including solar energy projects, agroecology, local economies and food security.
She highlighted that Africa accounts for more than 60% of the world's solar energy potential, yet receives only around 2% of global funding for renewable energy, and stressed the need for Mozambique to harness this potential to strengthen its economic and energy independence.
During the mission, which concluded today, Morgera visited the provinces of Tete and Sofala, as well as the city of Maputo, meeting with authorities, communities and other stakeholders.
According to her, the communities she met with raised concerns regarding access to information, consultation processes and participation in decisions relating to development projects.
«So, the first step is to recognise that the communities' concerns must be given very careful and urgent consideration,» she said, calling for independent studies to be carried out before environmental damage and human rights impacts worsen and become more difficult to remedy.
She also called for legislative reforms to strengthen the protection of human rights and the environment, including provisions requiring the authorities to base their decisions on the best available scientific evidence on climate change and the foreseeable impacts on human rights, as well as to establish clear accountability for private companies and multinationals.
Mozambique entered the current rainy season against a backdrop of high vulnerability to extreme weather events. The previous rainy season claimed 311 lives and affected around 1.07 million people since October, according to the latest update from the National Institute for Disaster Risk Management and Reduction (INGD), released in May.
Morgera's visit took place between 21 September and 2 October and aimed to assess the impacts of climate change on human rights and the existing and planned responses. The final conclusions and recommendations will be presented to the UN Human Rights Council in June 2027.
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