VANUATU is pushing forward with a UN General Assembly resolution to enshrine a landmark opinion of the International Court of Justice (ICJ) on climate. This is despite facing intense pressure from the Trump administration to withdraw the measure.
The draft resolution, which it is hoped will be voted on by the end of March, looks to translate the ICJ’s July 2025 advisory opinion into a concrete “roadmap for state accountability”.
The ICJ unanimously declared that an unclean environment violates human rights, that high-emitting states failing to protect the climate system may be in breach of international law, and that they may be liable for reparations. Vanuatu’s text would urge nations to adopt ambitious climate plans, phase out fossil fuel subsidies, and establish an International Register of Damage to document loss and damage claims.
However, the United States has launched an aggressive campaign to kill the initiative. A State Department cable sent to all U.S. embassies, cited by the Associated Press states that the administration “strongly objects” to the resolution, arguing it “could pose a major threat to US industry.” The cable coincides with President Trump’s view that the UN has “gone wildly off track” on climate and instructs diplomats to urge other nations to press Vanuatu to withdraw the text immediately. Washington claims the resolution relies on “speculative climate models” to assign blame and create legal obligations to which states never agreed.
Despite the bullying tactics, Vanuatu’s leadership is standing firm. Climate Envoy Ralph Regenvanu noted the pressure brings a sense of “déjà vu,” recalling a similar U.S. intervention that derailed a greenhouse gas levy at the International Maritime Organisation last October. “We are continuing with the normal process,” Regenvanu told the ABC, expressing hope the U.S. will engage constructively. Meanwhile, Human Rights Watch is urging governments not to be “bullied by those that reject the global scientific consensus.”
Vanuatu’s draft has garnered support from several countries, including Barbados, the Netherlands, and the Philippines, and has seen over 90 percent of UN member states participate in consultations. For a nation facing existential threat from the effects of Climate Change, it is, in a very real way, about survival. As Regenvanu stated, upholding the ICJ’s findings is “essential for the credibility of the international system.”