QUEZON CITY, Philippines – Governments will now be forced to consider the human rights impacts of their climate policies and be compelled to take more ambitious action under existing international agreements, thanks to a Vanuatu-led resolution passed with unanimous support from members of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA).
The UNGA will now ask the International Court of Justice (ICJ) to issue an advisory opinion on countries’ duties to protect human rights from the climate crisis, after a campaign spearheaded by university students in Vanuatu swept the globe gaining the support of over 120 cosponsoring countries, including Australia, the United Kingdom, France and New Zealand.
The ICJ will now hold hearings and request submissions, with a view to issuing an advisory opinion in 2024.
Reacting to this, Greenpeace Philippines campaigner Virginia Benosa-Llorin said:
“This landmark resolution vindicates the work of communities in the Philippines who have long stood up for climate justice and to defend their rights in the face of climate impacts caused by the activities of rich nations and fossil fuel companies. This gives Filipinos hope that we can demand more ambitious climate action and an end to fossil fuel extraction and expansion in order to secure the survival of present and future generations.
“We call on the Philippine government to actively engage in the proceedings following the release of the resolution. The current administration must represent the interests of the Filipino people in seeking climate justice as well as payment for loss and damage not just from states but also from fossil fuel companies that have contributed a lion’s share to historical and present carbon emissions.
“We believe that the Philippine government can substantially contribute to the proceedings. The climate change and human rights report of the Commission on Human Rights’ National Inquiry on Climate Change (2015-2022) was one of the first proceedings globally to have examined the link between climate impacts and human rights harms. The findings and recommendations in this report, which notes states’ and private sector duties in the context of climate change, could be a key source of information for the ICJ’s discussions, and could further strengthen the case for an advisory opinion in favor of climate-vulnerable nations.
Filipino communities, who have suffered the brunt of climate impacts for decades, deserve to have their voices represented in this discussion. We urge our government to follow Vanuatu’s lead and embrace its crucial role in delivering this potentially-monumental success in the struggle for climate justice.”
Media Contact:
Maverick Flores, Communications Campaigner Greenpeace Philippines [email protected] | +63 9176211552