In its first-ever ruling on climate, the International Court of Justice (the “World Court”) makes it clear that States have an obligation to protect the environment from greenhouse gas emissions and act with due diligence and cooperation to fulfill this obligation. The legal initiative taken by Vanuatu to the ICJ was inspired by its youth. "This is a victory for our planet, for climate justice and for the power of young people to make a difference," said UN Secretary-General António Guterres.
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Results for International Court of Justice (ICJ)
Thursday 24 July 2025
Nuku'alofa, Tonga
Wednesday 18 December 2024
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Nuku'alofa, Tonga
Tonga's Attorney General Hon. Linda Simiki Folaumoetu‘i at the International Court of Justice, in The Hague, Netherlands, called for States “to take collective transformational and cooperative action to mitigate climate change for the benefit for both present and future generations,” when she presented oral statements, during an initiative led by the Republic of Vanuatu in December.
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Monday 2 December 2024
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Port Vila, Vanuatu
Today, December 2, 2024, the International Court of Justice (ICJ) will begin hearings from an unprecedented 110 nations and international nongovernmental organizations. The ICJ case will consider international legal consequences faced by States for climate change harms. The first State to present will be Vanuatu, the Pacific Island nation that initiated the request for the advisory opinion from the ICJ, along with the Melanesian Spearhead Group (MSG).
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Monday 25 November 2024
Port Vila, Vanuatu
With COP29’s conclusion, the stage shifts to the Hague, where Vanuatu’s landmark International Court of Justice climate change case, will start on 2 December - with 110 UN member states and intergovernmental organisations testifying. Vanuatu's Special Envoy for Climate Change and Environment, stated yesterday that: “The commitments made in Baku — the dollar amounts pledged and the emissions reductions promised — are not enough. They were never going to be enough. And even then, based on our experience with such pledges in the past, we know they will not be fulfilled.”
