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Recognizing and strengthening Rights of Future Generations: From the ICJ Climate Case to the UN Summit of the Future

Conference
Hosted and organised by Normandy Chair for Peace and the Permanent Mission of Vanuatu to the UN Cosponsors: Basel Peace Office, Institute for gouvernance and sustainable développent, University for Peace, World Future Council. On March 29, 2023 the UN General Assembly decided by consensus to request the International Court of…

29 June 2023@ 09:45-13:00 EDT

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Location
In-Person
Millennium Hilton, One UN Plaza, New York and Online
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Coalition for the UN We Need

Hosted and organised by Normandy Chair for Peace and the Permanent Mission of Vanuatu to the UN Cosponsors: Basel Peace Office, Institute for gouvernance and sustainable développent, University for Peace, World Future Council.

On March 29, 2023 the UN General Assembly decided by consensus to request the International Court of Justice (ICJ) to render an Advisory Opinion on the following questions:

  1. What are the obligations of States under international law to ensure the protection of the climate system and other parts of the environment from anthropogenic emissions of greenhouse gases for States and for present and future generations;
  2. What are the legal consequences under these obligations for States where they, by their acts and omissions, have caused significant harm to the climate system and other parts of the environment, with respect to:
    • States, including, in particular, small island developing States, which due to their geographical circumstances and level of development, are injured or specially affected by or are particularly vulnerable to the adverse effects of climate change?
    • Peoples and individuals of the present and future generations affected by the adverse effects of climate change?” The ICJ has invited the United Nations and member States to submit information to the court relevant to the above questions by October 20, 2023. In addition, on September 8, 2022, the UN General Assembly decided by consensus to hold a Summit of the Future on September 22-23, 2024 and a Ministerial Meeting on September 18, 2023, with the objectives to “strengthen global governance for the sake of present and future generations”, to “advance Our Common Agenda” and to “respond to current and future challenges.”

The first session of this roundtable from 9:45-11:15 will include a briefing and discussion on the body of international law protecting the rights of future generations, examples of the application of this law in international tribunals in particular the ICJ, and the relevance of this law to the ICJ case on Climate Change. The primary purposes of this discussion are to encourage and support countries and international organizations in making submissions to the ICJ on the climate case by the deadline of October 30, 2023, and to ensure that rights of future generations are included in such submissions.

The second session of the roundtable from 11:30 – 13:00 will include an update on the preparatory process for the UN Summit of the Future, and a discussion on principles and mechanisms for protecting the rights of future generations that are being proposed for consideration at the UN Summit – including in the draft Pact for the Future and the mandate for a UN Special Envoy of Future Generations. The session will also include discussion of the relationship between the law being advanced in the ICJ Advisory Opinion on climate change and the obligations and program of action being developed through the UN Summit of the Future.

Contacts: Alyn Ware: [email protected]. Emilie Gaillard [email protected] www.normandychairforpeace.org

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