We are at COP30

International Law applies in negotiation rooms!

Our Ambition for COP30 – Belém, Brazil

On July 23rd, 2025, the International Court of Justice (ICJ) issued its historic advisory opinion on climate change. The Court confirmed that States have legal obligations to act urgently in the face of the climate crisis, protect human rights, support vulnerable communities, and that those obligations create legal consequences. This landmark opinion strengthens international cooperation under the UNFCCC and, in particular, the Paris Agreement. The ruling holds all States to a high standard of action that must effectively keep the global temperature below 1.5°C. Climate action is not only a moral duty: it’s a legal one.

As the world marks 10 years since the Paris Agreement, World’s Youth for Climate Justice will bring this momentum to COP30, where ambition must rise to meet science and the law. After years of youth advocacy that helped make the ICJ climate ruling possible, we will join the negotiations with this powerful new tool in hand.

Our Events at COP30

Events will be added here

Description goes here

Timeline of Events & WYCJ Speakers

10:00-11:00 Climate Mobility Pavilion side-event: Protecting the Right to Stay – Securing the Right to Move: Towards a Comprehensive Climate Mobility Agenda
15:00 - 17:00: Goals-House Event International Courts Empower Brazil's Legal Response to Climate Change, FILE - Goals House 2025 »
15:30: Mandate for All: The Legal and Civic Imperative to Confront the Climate Crisis” with Pace Law, IUCN-AIL and FGV Rio Law
13:00-14:00: Climate Mobility Pavilion side-event: Right to Stay, Right to Move: Turning the ICJ & IACtHR Climate Opinions into Dignified Climate Mobility Pathways
16:30 - 17:30: German Pavilion Event
12:10 – 12:55: Children and Youth Pavillion Event
18:30-20:00: (Side Event Room 8), titled "Climate Law and Governance Capacity: Delivering Climate Justice from Baku to Belém". (organised by Centre for International Sustainable Development Law, Centre for Human Rights and Climate Change Research, GlobalChoices, Rio Grande do Sul State Chapter of the Brazilian Bar, University of Oslo and IUCN World Commission on International Environmental Law.)
12:00-13:00: WHO-Pavillion Side-Event confirmed
16:10-17:40: Indonesian Pavilion by the Indonesian Center for Environmental Law
11:30-13:00: RtHE Environment (official) Room 5.

Our Team at COP30

Henrieke Bünger, Europe Front Coordinator

Henrieke holds an LLB in European and International Law as well as an LLM in Environmental Law. Her interest in the climate crisis has strongly influenced both her personal and academic life, working dedicatedly towards utilizing the skills and opportunities at her disposal to contribute to the mitigation and adaptation of climate change. She strongly believes in the power of the law to bring about solution-oriented action and to ensure climate justice as an integral part of the future on our planet. She is currently pursuing an MSc in Environmental Management to bridge the gap between law and science in decision-making.
Email: henrieke@wy4cj.org
Jule Schnakenberg, Executive Director

Jule Schnakenberg is a member of the Core-Team of the World’s Youth for Climate Justice (WYCJ), and has an interest in using (international) law to further progress on climate justice and intergenerational equity.
Originally from Hamburg (Germany) she now live in The Hague and manages our finances, fundraising and donor relations. Jule is also studying for a Masters in International Human Rights Law at Oxford University.
Email: jule@wy4cj.org
Mariana Campos Vega, Latin-America Front Coordinator

She is currently a law student passionate about international environmental law. She has been an activist since 2018, when she presented a legislative proposal for the regulation of single-use plastics in her home state. She co-founded with other Mexican activists “Escazu Ahora Mexico” with the purpose of accelerating Mexico’s ratification of the Escazu Agreement and its entry into force in the region. Mariana has been part of the United Nations Career for Climate Action Programme and other courses of environmental and human rights law.
Email: mariana@wy4cj.org
Nicole Ponce, Advocacy Lead

Nicole Ann Ponce is an environmental and human rights lawyer-advocate from the Philippines with a strong interest in the intersection of law, science, and policy. She holds degrees in Political Science and Law, has a background in research, and is admitted to the Philippine Bar. As Global Advocacy Lead of World’s Youth for Climate Justice, she oversees the advisory-opinion implementation workstream, coordinating efforts to translate the legal obligations clarified by the ICJ, ITLOS, and IACtHR into ambitious national, regional, and international action. Her work includes leading international advocacy in multilateral negotiations, developing regional implementation plans, and lobbying governments to integrate their obligations into legislation and policy, while supporting the adoption of these advisory opinions within the UN system, including by Special Procedures and Human Rights Treaty Bodies.
Email: nicole@wy4cj.org
Samira Ben Ali, Campaigns Lead

Samira is Master’s Degree student specialised in Environmental Diplomacy and Rights of Future Generations at the Institute of Political Studies of Rennes (Sciences Po Rennes). She takes part in the WYCJ campaign as the Outreach and Engagement Coordinator. She is particularly interested by environmental geopolitics, the protection of marine biodiversity and climate justice . She believes that it is only through an ambitious and effective implementation of international law that we will be able to protect the rights of the most vulnerable communities and future generations.
Email: samira@wy4cj.org