Vanuatu Statement On Inter-American Court Advisory Opinion On The Climate Emergency And Human Rights

Statement from Ralph Regenvanu, 
Minister of Climate Change Adaptation, Meteorology & Geo-Hazards, Energy, Environment and Disaster Management for the Republic of Vanuatu

PORT VILA, VANUATU (4 July 2025)

“The Government of the Republic of Vanuatu commends the Inter-American Court of Human Rights (IACtHR) on its groundbreaking advisory opinion on the Climate Emergency and Human Rights, issued today in response to a joint request from the Governments of Chile and Colombia in January 2023.

“The scientific consensus is clear: human-induced climate change is accelerating and driving widespread and severe impacts, disproportionately affecting developing countries and vulnerable communities. Increasingly, international legal processes are reinforcing what science has long shown—that responsibility for climate harms can be traced, and that action must be guided by established principles of law and justice.

“With today’s Advisory Opinion from the IACtHR, we are witnessing a growing alignment between scientific understanding and legal interpretation. The Court has clarified that the obligations of States to prevent irreversible damage to the climate system is of ‘jus cogens’ character—meaning no derogation from it is allowed, and any contradictory rules are null and void. These prevention obligations are not the same for all states: they must be interpreted in light of equity and common but differentiated responsibilities and respective capabilities. The opinion confirmed that states’ have heightened obligations to address the human rights consequences of climate change in relation to at-risk populations including Indigenous peoples, children, women, and environmental human rights defenders.

“Importantly, the IACtHR also affirmed that States must regulate corporate conduct and hold businesses accountable when their activities contribute to environmental harm, and more generally, the importance of comprehensive reparations, including restitution, compensation, rehabilitation, satisfaction and guarantees of non-repetition. This is a critical step in clarifying the responsibilities of both State and non-State actors, and in aligning the global climate response with human rights protections and environmental law.

“These findings complement other recent legal developments, including the 2024 Advisory Opinion of the International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea, and together mark an important evolution in the global legal response to the climate emergency.

“Vanuatu participated in this proceeding by submitting a written opinion—the first such submission from a country outside the Americas. All regional and international courts have an important role to play in advancing climate justice. Together, they can pave the way for a more integrated approach to international law that addresses the human rights dimensions and remedy the historical climate injustices that the Global South increasingly suffer from in the climate emergency.

“The global imperative is clear—climate change is affecting everyone, everywhere. What happens in one part of the world has consequences for another — this is also applicable to the how we collectively understand international law in relation to climate change through decisions like this delivered today.

“With the positive outcome from the Inter-American Court, we now look hopefully to the forthcoming Advisory Opinion on Climate Change from the International Court of Justice.

“Later this year, Brazil will host the 30th Convention of Parties to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change. At this meeting, the tenth anniversary of the Paris Agreement will be commemorated. But, for humanity to survive climate change, we need to do more than celebrate anniversaries. We must pay heed to the twin consensus of science and law and address this emergency with the urgency, solidarity, and accountability that it demands.”

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