BY JOHN HOUANIHAU
The International Court of Justice (ICJ) Advisory opinion represents a blueprint for structural change.
Vanuatu Minister for Climate Change Adaptation, Energy, Environment, Meteorology, Geo-Hazard and Disaster Management, Ralph Regenvanu highlighted during the penal discussion on Understanding the ICJ -AO on Climate Change held at the Aquatic Centre yesterday.
“For Vanuatu, this opinion represents a blueprint for structural change inside our country, as well as outward facing. We are already integrating its conclusions into our updated Nationally Determined Contributions (NDC) 3.0, which our Council of Ministers approved last week, and soon will be available publicly. We have put the ICJ-AO into the NDC, and climate due diligence will become part of the state’s governance architecture,” Minister Regenvanu said.
He said that it is not about short-term measures but about reshaping institutions and systems to ensure long-term accountability.
“We are aligning our NDCs with the court’s opinion at the national level. All licensing, permitting and procurement should pass through an ICJ implementation test to ensure projects are consistent with what has been defined as our duty to prevent climate harm. We are institutionalising procedures to invoke state responsibility, including notifications seeking cessation and remedies when foreign conduct harms Vanuatu.
He said that Mitigation and protection laws will be restructured to reflect the principle of non-refoulement, ensuring climate displaced persons are protected with dignity.
“We are also looking at safeguarding our sovereignty by securing maritime zones under UNCLOS so that rising seas cannot erase our entitlements. And we will establish a National Loss and Damage Claims and Evidence Facility to systematically document climate harm linked to our National Loss and Damage Fund, an institutional pathway for reparations and justice,” he said.
