...ActionAid Vanuatu hails ruling as a historic step towards accountability for major polluting nations
By Bunmi Yekini
Following the International Court of Justice’s (ICJ) Advisory Opinion on the responsibilities of states regarding the climate crisis, ActionAid Vanuatu has praised the ruling as a significant breakthrough in the global quest for climate justice.
Flora Vano, ActionAid Vanuatu Country Manager, who gave a powerful testimony at the People’s Assembly during the ICJ hearings in The Hague in December 2024, described the ruling as a beacon of hope for communities most affected by climate breakdown.
“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,” Vano said in a statement. “We can feel so helpless as we lose our homes, our livelihoods, and our safety to terrifying storms and rising seas.”
She emphasized that the ICJ’s advisory opinion, while non-binding, carries immense symbolic and legal weight that communities can leverage to pursue justice.
“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,” she added.
Vano further described the ruling as “a powerful tool” that can support demands for both accountability and reparations from countries most responsible for global emissions.
“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,” she said.