WORLD’S YOUTH FOR CLIMATE JUSTICE COP29 STATEMENT
11 November, 2024
We, World’s Youth for Climate Justice, are heading to COP29 to rally support for our shared mission to advocate for climate justice in front of the world’s highest court. Children, youth, and future generations are facing dire consequences of climate change on our human rights. That is why we, together with Pacific Islands Students Fighting Climate Change who started this campaign, mobilised the United Nations to seek advice from the International Court of Justice (ICJ) through an Advisory Opinion (AO) on climate change and have since been advocating for the incorporation of progressive legal arguments that advance human rights, intergenerational rights, and climate justice.
As fierce climate-justice advocates, we look forward to engaging with State and non-State actors in the pursuit of ambitious action and intergenerational solidarity at COP29. We hope to see international collaboration among States, and strengthened State interest to engage with this historic case at the ICJ, centering the voices of youth and most affected communities. Further, we strongly encourage the delegates to prioritise the human rights of current and future generations in their COP29 negotiations.
With the hearings around the corner, we strongly urge all States to use this opportunity to participate in these once-in-a-lifetime proceedings, amplify the voices of youth, and include progressive arguments that advance climate justice, human rights, and intergenerational justice. This is their very last chance to incorporate strong legal arguments that advance human rights, intergenerational rights, and climate justice within the context of the historic advisory proceedings. We urge civil society to listen carefully to the submissions made by States and to mobilise people all around the world to do the same so that we can act as a united front and hold States accountable for such submissions. States should know that the world is watching, and this is the moment States can decide to be on the right side of history.
