Advancing the Right to Health through the ICJ Advisory Opinion on Climate Change | WHA79 Official Side Event

Co-organized with the Republic of Vanuatu, Medicus Mundi International, UN University International Institute for Global Health (UNU-IIGH).
Co-Sponsors: The Philippines, Mozambique, Papua New Guinea, Fiji, Marshall Islands, Nauru, Kiribati, Federated States of Micronesia, Samoa, and Colombia.

📆 Thursday 21 May

🕠 13:00-14:20 CEST

📍Room XI, Palais des Nations, Geneva 

🥙 Food provided

Overview

In 2024, WHO Director-General (DG’s) provided to the International Court of Justice (ICJ) a statement that the “climate crisis” is a “health crisis”, calling for “immediate action” to curb increases in disease prevalence, mortality and morbidity, and health systems impacts. The 2025 ICJ Advisory Opinion (AO) strengthens the legal basis for mainstreaming health, obligating States to protect human rights, and imposing responsibilities on States for climate inaction. It highlights the importance of the human right to a clean, healthy and sustainable environment. In February 2026, Vanuatu introduced the zero draft of the United Nations General Assembly resolution to endorse the ICJ OA.

During UNFCCC COP30, UNU, WHO, UN partners, Member State parties, youth and environmental advocacy groups, convened side-events. Stakeholders discussed entry points to leverage the ICJ AO to advance climate action commitments, such as the Belém Health Action Plan to adapt global health systems to the climate crisis, and accelerate concrete actions, including health financing. A recent symposium in Bangkok (2026) provided an opportunity for exploring a regional engagement between legal experts, environmental rights organizations and public health practitioners to discuss implementation strategies advancing the legal predicaments of the AO.

This WHA Side Event will scale up engagements on the ICJ AO, establish a platform for awareness and capacity strengthening, dialogue, partnerships between UN Member States, development partners, public health actors, legal experts, civil society, and academia on the implementation of the AO as part of an authoritative legal framework to support advocacy around human rights, climate and health action, especially with the needs of  Small Island Developing States in mind.

 

Speakers

  • Dr. Revati Phalkey, Director, UNU-IIGH
  • Nicoletta Dentico, Co-Chair of the Geneva Global Health Hub, Director of the Global Health Justice Programme at Society for International Development
  • Dr. Samuel Posikai, Director of Corporate Service of the Vanuatu Minister of Health – Vanuatu
  • Prof. Elisa Morgera, UN Special Rapporteur for Climate Change and Human Rights (video-message)
  • Nicole Ponce, World’s Youth for Climate Justice
  • Prof. Jamilah Mahmood, Sunway Centre for Planetary Health
  • Dr. Teodoro J. Herbosa, Secretary of Health, the Philippines
  • Dr. Eduardo Samo Gudo, Director-General, National Health Institute, Mozambique
  • Elias Kapavore, Minister of Health, Papua New Guinea
  • H.E. Alvaro Ayala, Permanent Representative of Colombia
  • Moderated by Dr. Remco Van de Pas, UNU-IIGH