The UN General Assembly (UNGA) has asked the International Court of Justice (ICJ) for an advisory opinion on countries’ obligations to address climate change, following the adoption by consensus of a resolution on Wednesday.
The resolution was initiated by the cyclone-battered Pacific Island nation of Vanuatu, supported by a “core group” of 17 countries from various regions, including Morocco, and is focused on the adverse impacts of climate change on small island developing States as well as climate justice.
Meanwhile, about 20 countries around the world, most of them small, actively championed the resolution in a global demonstration underlining the urgency of the climate crisis.
In his remarks ahead of the vote, UN Secretary-General António Guterres noted that the Court’s advisory opinions have tremendous importance.
“If and when given, such an opinion would assist the General Assembly, the UN, and Member States, to take the bolder and stronger climate action that our world so desperately needs,” he pointed out.
It's worth mentioning that Vanuatu is considered highly vulnerable to climate change, owing to its geographic isolation and the high costs of providing basic services. Climate change is projected to result in many challenges for Vanuatu, including increasing temperatures, rising sea levels, and extreme weather events.
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