Event information

2 December 2024, 09:00-18:15

ICJ Oral Hearings on Climate Justice – Diplomatic Screening and Commentary | GEN @ 25

Event

Climate Justice Screening logos

 

On 2 December, the International Court of Justice will start holding its first-ever public hearings on States’ obligations with regard to climate change. On 29 March 2023, the United Nations General Assembly adopted a resolution requesting the International Court of Justice (ICJ) to issue an Advisory Opinion on States’ obligations in respect of climate change. The resolution was the result of the leadership of Vanuatu and 18 other States. The resolution requests the ICJ to clarify States’ obligations with regard to climate change, with specific attention to vulnerable States and affected peoples and individuals, including future generations. The full text is available here in all official UN languages.

The International Court of Justice has now, for the first time in history, the mandate to address the obligations of States with regard to climate change, under multiple sources of law including international environmental law and human rights law.

From 2 to 13 December, the Court will hold public hearings. Ninety-eight States and twelve international organizations will be participating in the oral proceedings before the Court. These hearings are a turning point, setting the stage for the Court’s 2025 Advisory Opinion.

The Geneva Environment Network, the Center for International Environmental Law (CIEL), the Geneva Human Rights Platform, World’s Youth for Climate Justice (WYCJ), and Earthjustice have the pleasure of organizing a diplomatic screening of the first day of the public hearing, accompanied by a commentary by experts, intergovernmental representatives and State representatives from Geneva and the Hague.

The event is organized back to back with the Pushing Boundaries Through Collective Action: How Can Citizens Drive Systems Change and Catalyze Climate Action? | Climate Solutions to Keep 1.5° Alive | GEN @ 25 (starting at 15.30 CET in room XVII).

Details of the agenda and speakers, and the registration link for those wishing to attend in person can be found here.

The event will also be livestreamed on Youtube (Part 1 & Part 2).

MORE ON THIS THEMATIC AREA

A GHRP training course News

Training Opportunities 2025: Engage with UN Human Rights Mechanisms

28 January 2025

The Geneva Human Rights Platform is launching its 2025 training programme, designed to empower stakeholders engaging with UN human rights system.

Read more

GHRP Diplomat Training News

Strengthening Diplomacy: GHRP Training Course Enhances Engagement with UN Human Rights

5 February 2025

The GHRP’s annual training equipped 19 diplomats with key insights into the UN Human Rights Council’s mechanisms and multilateral processes.

Read more

AI for Good Event Event

AI for human rights: Smarter, faster, fairer monitoring

8 July 2025, 14:00-16:00

The event, as part of the AI for Good Summit 2025 will explore how AI tools can support faster data analysis, help uncover patterns in large datasets, and expand the reach of human rights work.

Read more

United Nations Geneva Event

‘Urgency Measures’ to face a triple crisis – what insights can be taken from the Treaty Body strengthening process?

4 June 2025, 13:30-15:00

This side event represents a critical opportunity to reflect on the innovative approaches taken through the treaty body strengthening process and to consider the future direction of the treaty body system.

Read more

A general view of participants during of the 33nd ordinary session of the Human Rights Council. Training

Practical Training on Human Rights Council Procedures for SIDS/LDCs

4-5 June 2025

This hands-on training is designed specifically for diplomats from Small Island Developing States and Least Developed Countries who are current or prospective members of the United Nations Human Rights Council.

Read more

Universal Declaration of Human Rights Booklet Training

The International Human Rights Standards and System: Monitoring and Implementation Strategies at the National Level

7-11 July 2025

This training course will delve into the means and mechanisms through which national actors can best coordinate their human rights monitoring and implementation efforts, enabling them to strategically navigate the UN human rights system and use the various mechanisms available in their day-to-day work.

Read more

Sign: National Human Rights Commission of Nepal Project

Local Implementation of Global Human Rights

Started in May 2020

The Geneva Human Rights Platform collaborates with a series of actors to reflect on the implementation of international human rights norms at the local level and propose solutions to improve uptake of recommendations and decisions taken by Geneva-based human rights bodies at the local level.

Read more

Project

Follow-up Review Pilot Series

Started in November 2021

Read more

Cover page of the working paper Publication

AI Decoded: Key Concepts and Applications of Artificial Intelligence for Human Rights and SDG Monitoring

published on January 2025

Milica Mirkovic, Jennifer Victoria Scurrell

Read more

Cover Page of Research Brief Publication

United Nations Treaty Body Individual Communications Procedures: What Is at Stake in the Strengthening Process?

published on October 2024

Claire Callejon

Read more