Media Home
UN Web TV
UN Audiovisual Library
UN PhotoUnifeed
UN / ICJ CLIMATE CHANGE
STORY: UN / ICJ CLIMATE CHANGE
TRT: 3:54
SOURCE: UNIFEED
RESTRICTIONS: NONE
LANGUAGE: ENGLISH / NATS
DATELINE: 29 MARCH 2023, NEW YORK CITY / RECENT
RECENT – NEW YORK CITY
1.Wide shot, exterior, United Nations Headquarters
29 MARCH 2023, NEW YORK CITY
2.Wide shot, Alatoi Ishmael Kalsakau, Prime Minister of Vanuatu at the GA Stakeout
3.SOUNDBITE (English) Alatoi Ishmael Kalsakau, Prime Minister of Vanuatu:
“Today we have witnessed a win for climate justice of record proportions. I'm proud beyond measure that today the United Nations General Assembly has overwhelmingly adopted by consensus Vanuatu’s Resolution of climate change and human rights.”
RECENT – NEW YORK CITY
4.Close up, journalists typing
29 MARCH 2023, NEW YORK CITY
5.SOUNDBITE (English) Alatoi Ishmael Kalsakau, Prime Minister of Vanuatu:
“Today's historic resolution is the beginning of a new era in multilateral climate cooperation. One that is more fully focused on upholding the rule of international law and an era that places civil rights and international equity at the forefront of climate decision making. The very fact that a small Pacific Island nation like Vanuatu was able to successfully spearhead such a transformative outcome speaks to the incredible support from all corners of the globe.”
6. Wide shot, Solomon Yeo, Pacific Island Students Fighting Climate Change, walking to stakeout
7. SOUNDBITE (English) Solomon Yeo, Pacific Island Students Fighting Climate Change:
“Young people of course, standing across everywhere joining hands with the Pacific Island students, as well as young people has been focusing on a campaign will look optimistically toward the future, especially to the second phase where the matter will then refer to the Court and see initiate the court proceedings. We hope to see that young people voices as well as voices of other vulnerable groups across the world can be represented truth truthfully and meaningfully at the International Court of Justice.”
8. Wide shot, Yeo leaving the stakeout
9.Wide shot, General Assembly Hall
10. Various shots, General Assembly adopting resolution
11. Various shots, Guterres at the podium
12. SOUNDBITE (English) António Guterres, Secretary-General, United Nations:
“Climate justice is both a moral imperative and a prerequisite for effective glob-al climate action. The climate crisis can only be overcome through cooperation – between peoples, cultures, nations, generations. But festering climate injustice feeds divisions and threatens to paralyze global climate action.”
13. Various shots, Alatoi Ishmael Kalsakau, Prime Minister of Vanuatu at the podium
14. SOUNDBITE (English) Alatoi Ishmael Kalsakau, Prime Minister of Vanuatu:
“This is not a silver bullet, but it can make an important contribution to climate change, climate action, including by catalyzing much higher ambition under the Paris Agreement. The legal questions contained in the draft resolution represents a careful balance achieved after extensive consultations whilst safeguarding its integrity. At the heart of the question is a desire to further strengthen our collective efforts to deal with climate change, give climate justice the importance it deserves, and bring the entirety of international law to bear on this unprecedented challenge. We believe that the ICJ can do this.”
15. Various shots, General Assembly
The General Assembly adopted by consensus a resolution requesting for an advisory opinion of the International Court of Justice (ICJ) on the obligations of States in respect of climate change.
The Resolution was drafted by Vanuatu and inspired by Pacific Island law students that want the international legal system to deliver climate justice.
After today’s (29 Mar) adoption, Prime Minister of Vanuatu Alatoi Ishmael Kalsakau spoke at a press encounter outside the General Assembly Hall.
He said, “Today we have witnessed a win for climate justice of record proportions. I'm proud beyond measure that today the United Nations General Assembly has overwhelmingly adopted by consensus Vanuatu’s Resolution of climate change and human rights.”
Prime Minister Kalsakau continued, “Today's historic resolution is the beginning of a new era in multilateral climate cooperation. One that is more fully focused on upholding the rule of international law and an era that places civil rights and international equity at the forefront of climate decision making.”
He reiterated, “The very fact that a small Pacific Island nation like Vanuatu was able to successfully spearhead such a transformative outcome speaks to the incredible support from all corners of the globe.”
Solomon Yeo, who is representing the Pacific Island Students Fighting Climate Change, also spoke to the reporters.
He said, “Young people of course, standing across everywhere joining hands with the Pacific Island students, as well as young people has been focusing on a campaign will look optimistically toward the future, especially to the second phase where the matter will then refer to the Court and see initiate the court proceedings.”
Yeo continued, “We hope to see that young people voices as well as voices of other vulnerable groups across the world can be represented truth truthfully and meaningfully at the International Court of Justice.”
Before the adoption, UN Secretary-General António Guterres made his remarks in the General Assembly hall.
Guterres said that if an ICJ opinion was given on climate issues, such an opinion would assist the General Assembly, the UN and Member States to take bolder and stronger climate action that the world so desperately needs.
He reiterated, “Climate justice is both a moral imperative and a prerequisite for effective global climate action. The climate crisis can only be overcome through cooperation – between peoples, cultures, nations, generations.”
Prime Minister of Vanuatu Alatoi Ishmael Kalsakau introduced the drafted resolution to the General Assembly.
He said, “this is not a silver bullet, but it can make an important contribution to climate change, climate action, including by catalyzing much higher ambition under the Paris Agreement.”
Prime Minister Kalsakau said, “The legal questions contained in the draft resolution represents a careful balance achieved after extensive consultations whilst safeguarding its integrity,” adding that “At the heart of the question is a desire to further strengthen our collective efforts to deal with climate change, give climate justice the importance it deserves, and bring the entirety of international law to bear on this unprecedented challenge. We believe that the ICJ can do this.”
Download
There is no media available to download.
