Date & Time
11:00am, 14 October 2025 - 12:30am, 14 October 2025Location
About the event
In July 2025, the International Court of Justice made history by affirming that climate change is not only an environmental crisis but also a matter of justice, rights, and international law. The ruling makes clear that governments and corporations have binding obligations to prevent harm, protect human rights, and act in solidarity—or face consequences under international law.
With COP30 in Brazil approaching, the ‘implementation COP’ where states must deliver stronger commitments and a transformative finance package, this opinion is a powerful tool for climate-vulnerable nations and civil society to demand accountability and equity on the global stage.
Join us for Holding Power to Account: Climate Justice in the Wake of the ICJ Advisory Opinion.
This Critical Conversation will bring together civil society leaders, community voices, and decision-makers from across the Commonwealth to reflect on the ICJ’s landmark ruling. Together, we will harness the momentum of the ruling, amplify the perspectives of climate-impacted states and communities, and explore how these principles can be turned into real action in the lead-up to COP30 in Brazil.
Some of the key questions this event will explore include:
- How can the ruling be used to urge states to raise their ambition and strengthen international commitments at COP30?
- How can civil society and climate-impacted countries proactively anticipate and counter resistance from polluting states and corporations to turn the opinion into effective action?
- What should Commonwealth civil society and policymakers prioritise over the next 12 months to ensure the ruling delivers tangible justice for vulnerable communities?
Don’t miss out — register now to be part of this pivotal event and help shape the road to COP30.
Guests
Margaretha Wewerinke-Singh is Associate Professor of Law at the University of Amsterdam, Adjunct Professor of Law at the University of Fiji, and a member of the Permanent Court of Arbitration. Her publications include ‘State Responsibility, Climate Change and Human Rights under International Law’ (Hart 2019) and The Cambridge Handbook on Climate Change Litigation (ed. with Sarah Mead, CUP 2025). She served as lead counsel for Vanuatu in the climate change advisory proceedings before the International Court of Justice and the Inter-American Court of Human Rights, and as counsel for the Commission of Small Island States on Climate Change and International Law in the advisory proceedings on climate change before the International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea.
Vishal is the Director of the Pacific Islands Students Fighting Climate Change and has been part of the ICJ AO campaign for the last 6 years culminating in the historic advisory opinion. He is from Fiji and has a background in International Politics.
Ralph Regenvanu is Vanuatu’s Minister for Climate Change Adaptation, Energy, Environment, Meteorology, Geo-Hazards and Disaster Management, and is currently serving his sixth term as the Member of Parliament for Vanuatu’s capital and largest city Port Vila. Ralph has a background in cultural heritage management, and served as Director of the National Museum of Vanuatu from 1995 until 2006, during which time he was also a founding Board Member of both the Pacific Islands Museums Association (PIMA) and the regional cultural sites preservation organization, ICOMOS Pasifika. As Vanuatu’s Foreign Minister in 2019, Ralph initiated Vanuatu’s push for an International Court of Justice (ICJ) Advisory Opinion on climate obligations, and as Climate Change Minister in 2022 signed Vanuatu up as one of the first state champions of the Fossil Fuel Non-Proliferation Treaty. His leadership ensures that Vanuatu continues to be a strong voice in global climate and environmental negotiations, reinforcing the urgent need for ambitious action to protect vulnerable small island states. Ralph is currently the Pacific Ministerial Champion for Loss and Damage leading into COP30.
Date & Time
11:00am, 14 October 2025 - 12:30am, 14 October 2025 GMT
Virtual Event
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