The United Nations General Assembly on Wednesday voted overwhelmingly in favor of a climate justice resolution championed by the small Pacific Island nation of Vanuatu. The resolution welcomes the historic advisory opinion on climate change issued by the International Court of Justice in July 2025 and calls upon U.N. member states to act upon the court’s unanimous guidance, which clarified that addressing the climate crisis is not optional but rather is a legal duty under multiple sources of international law.
“Last year, the International Court of Justice ruled that countries have a legal duty to protect the climate, and today the world has not only reaffirmed that ruling, but committed to making it a reality. This must be a turning point in accountability for damaging the climate,” Vishal Prasad, director of Pacific Island Students Fighting Climate Change—the group that initiated the campaign to request a climate change advisory opinion from the ICJ—said in a statement.
While nonbinding, the court’s opinion is widely viewed as an authoritative interpretation of existing law. Legal experts say it could be used as persuasive authority in domestic climate litigation and in diplomatic arenas like the annual U.N. climate summits.
