Reacting to the International Court of Justice’s Advisory Opinion on the obligations of States in respect of the climate crisis, ActionAid Vanuatu Country Manager, Flora Vano, who delivered a testimony at the People’s Assembly during the ICJ hearings in the Hague in December 2024, said:
“The powerful polluters don’t seem to care that their actions are destroying countries like mine, and intensifying burdens on women, who often bear the brunt of climate impacts. We can feel so helpless as we lose our homes, our livelihoods, and our safety to terrifying storms and rising seas. This historic legal decision from the ICJ gives us hope that communities, especially women and girls on the frontlines of this crisis, will finally be able to fight back for justice and accountability.
This ruling is a powerful tool we can use to demand that those most responsible for this climate crisis be held accountable. As the planet’s weather becomes more chaotic, this ruling paves the way for the protections and reparations we desperately need to rebuild our lives and secure a just future.”
ActionAid USA Director of Policy and Campaigns, Brandon Wu, added:
“The Trump administration may scoff at the ICJ, but this ruling makes crystal clear that rich countries like the United States have a legal obligation to cut emissions and support communities on the front lines of the climate crisis by paying the climate finance we have promised but never delivered. No administration can erase the obligation the U.S. has to the rest of the world – one that has now been powerfully confirmed by the world’s highest court.”
Ends
For media requests, please email christal.james@actionaid.org or call 7046659743.
