World’s Youth for Climate Justice (WYCJ) led a years-long global campaign to take climate change and human rights to the International Court of Justice (ICJ) to get an advisory opinion (AO) – and with success!
On 20 May, after months of intense campaigning by civil society and Vanuatu, States took an important step in the implementation phase of the ICJ climate change advisory opinion by adopting the resolution welcoming and operationalising the ICJ AO.
This is a landmark moment for climate justice. The UN has today not only welcomed the validity of the groundbreaking ICJ ruling, which found States' obligations to combat climate change, but is also committed to taking real action. Let’s put the ICJ’s findings into practice!
The UNGA resolution is adopted!
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Youth led the way: the ICJ has spoken, the law is clear – now the world must act
The climate crisis is a lived injustice, hitting hardest those least responsible. The historic ICJ Advisory Opinion on climate change – driven by those most affected – clarified States’ legal duties and obligations. Now, the herculan task is turning that clarity into real-world impact. The upcoming United Nations General Assembly resolution, led by Vanuatu, is a political momentum that must be seized.
In our latest blog, our Global Advocacy Lead Nicole Ann Ponce shares how the UNGA resolution could play several key roles to operationalise the climate ruling from the world’s highest court.
Trade in Breach of the Law: Why the EU–Mercosur Agreement Is Incompatible with the EU’s Climate Obligations
In July 2025, the International Court of Justice (ICJ) clarified in its advisory opinion on the Obligations of States in Respect to Climate Change what climate-impacted communities, youth movements, and courts across the world have been arguing for years: climate action is not a political choice, but a binding legal obligation.
For the European Union, this clarification has immediate consequences. It exposes a profound legal contradiction at the heart of the EU–Mercosur trade agreement: an agreement designed to expand emissions-intensive trade, deforestation, and extractive production, which cannot be reconciled with the EU’s climate obligations under international and EU law.
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