Time: 4.00 pm - 5.30 pm
Summary: As the climate crisis continues to exacerbate, important strides have been made to advance climate justice outside of the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) process. In 2025, following a campaign by Pacific Island students and diplomatic efforts by Vanuatu and other Pacific nations, the International Court of Justice (ICJ) delivered a unanimous advisory opinion clarifying states’ obligations as well as the consequences of not meeting those obligations. This historic legal opinion was followed by the adoption of a UN General Assembly resolution in May 2026 that not only recognises some of the ICJ’s key findings, but also puts in place a process for regular follow-up.
Another major development has been the organisation of an intergovernmental conference on transitioning away from fossil fuels in Santa Marta, Colombia, in April 2026. The conference has offered a forum for a coalition of the willing to discuss the challenges and enablers of phasing out fossil fuels – a topic on which progress under the UNFCCC process has remained limited.
In this roundtable, speakers from the Pacific and will reflect on the past, present, and future of their diplomatic and legal efforts. Roundtable participants will also reflect more broadly on the state of international climate negotiations, the governance of fossil fuels, the impacts of international court rulings, and how efforts outside of the UNFCCC process can help to achieve the Paris Agreement’s goals.
Moderator
- Prof Harro van Asselt, Hatton Professor of Climate Law, Department of Land Economy and Hughes Hall, University of Cambridge
Speakers
- Auimatagi Joe Moeono-Kolio, National Focal Point, Tuvalu 2027, 2nd International Conference on the Just Transition Away from Fossil Fuels
- Harj Narulla, Barrister, Doughty Street Chambers, and Counsel to Solomon Islands
- Johanna Gusman, Senior Attorney, Center for International Environmental Law, and Advisor, Vanuatu
- Prof Caroline Foster, Professor of International Law, University of Auckland
Please direct any queries to Renatus Derler rofd2@cam.ac.uk
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