Vanuatu has welcomed a historic ruling by the Inter-American Court of Human Rights (IACtHR), calling it a breakthrough in linking climate change with legal obligations to protect human rights.
Ralph Regenvanu, Vanuatu’s Minister of Climate Change Adaptation, Meteorology & Geo-Hazards, Energy, Environment and Disaster Management, said the advisory opinion released today marks a major step forward.
“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.”
Regenvanu said the ruling reinforces what science has already made clear: that climate change is human-induced, worsening, and hitting vulnerable communities hardest.
“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,” he said in a statement.
He said the Court’s declaration that states have a non-derogable duty to prevent irreversible climate damage elevates climate obligations to the highest level of international law.
“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.”
The advisory opinion also called out corporate responsibility, confirming that states must hold businesses accountable for contributing to environmental damage.
“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.”
Vanuatu had submitted its own written opinion during the proceedings, becoming the first country outside the Americas to do so.
“Vanuatu participated in this proceeding by submitting a written opinion—the first such submission from a country outside the Americas.”
Regenvanu said the IACtHR’s findings complement other recent decisions, including last year’s ruling from the International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea, and signal a global shift toward accountability in the climate crisis.
“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”
He said the world can no longer ignore the legal and moral urgency of the crisis.
“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.”
Regenvanu now looks ahead to the upcoming advisory opinion from the International Court of Justice and COP30 in Brazil.
“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.”
“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,” he said.
