VANUATU WILL PURSUE RESOLUTION TO TURN THE INTERNATIONAL COURT OF JUSTICE’S ADVISORY OPINION ON THE OBLIGATIONS OF STATES IN RESPECT TO CLIMATE CHANGE INTO POLITICAL ACTION

Vanuatu is pursuing a new United Nations (UN) resolution to turn the International Court of Justice’s (ICJ)  Advisory Opinion (ICJAO) on the obligations of states in respect to Climate Change into political action.

Speaking at New York Climate Week, Ralph Regenvanu, Vanuatu’s minister of Climate Change, has indicated that the resolution would be tabled later this year, likely after COP 30 which will take place in Belém, Brazil in November, once governments’ responses to the ICJ AO ruling have become clearer.

The aim of the UN resolution will be to formally endorse the ICJ AO, propose measures to overcome barriers and inequalities in current climate frameworks, and reinforce multilateralism as the foundation for a fair and effective global response. To push the UN resolution forward, Vanuatu is putting together a group of supportive countries with the aim of gaining backing from a majority of states. This is expected to include countries from all regions.

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Why is this resolution important for Loss and Damage?

The ICJ AO is clear on the obligations that rich polluting countries have to end fossil fuels (important for avoiding future Loss and Damage), to provide Loss and Damage finance and uphold Human Rights. Making it crystal clear that reparations are due from states who fail to meet their obligations. Turning the ICJ AO into political action is essential to make sure that #LossAndDamage support is delivered at the speed and scale needed to avoid further erosion of development gains and to support transformation after a climate disaster occurs so that communities can thrive and not just survive the climate crisis. This includes filling the Fund for Responding to Loss and Damage with the 400 billion USD it needs to disburse each year to meet the needs of developing countries like Vanuatu.

See Climate Home News article from Megan Rowling on the announcement here.

Read the Guardians coverage of the announcement from Nina Lakhani  to learn more about Vanuatu’s climate leadership, including on #LossAndDamage, here.

See this debrief from the Pacific Islands Fighting Climate Change (PISFCC), World’s Youth for Climate Justice (WYCJ) and Center for International Environmental Law (CEIL) to better understand the implications of the ICJ AO.