The morning started with a panel discussion focusing on a project on Youth in Climate Juctice, coordinated by Prof. Aoife Daly and Liesl Müller at University College Cork. They explained how their database captures and highlights the involvement of youth in climate litigation. To provide a more holistic and accessible overview, they translated case information into several languages, complemented the data with interviews, social media content, online reports, and included ‘easy-read’ summaries of the cases. These summaries were designed to be accessible and were developed in consultation with an advisory committee composed of 12 children. This approach was very inspiring for the CLAIM project, which aims to incorporate marginalised actors’ actions and perspectives into a climate change litigation database through a collaborative approach.

Prof. Corina Heri participated in a second panel, presenting the Climate and Human Rights Litigation Database developed by the University of Zurich. She outlined the database’s conceptual and methodological framework and reflected on its transformative and outreach potential. Notably, the team worked to make summaries more accessible and collaborated with paid student rapporteurs in Africa to expand territorial coverage. They sought to highlight the breadth of claims, even those that are not successful, to draw attention to the palette of vulnerabilities, including if necessary, information outside the case documents such as press releases and statements by the litigants. Recognising that keywords and search functionalities can hinder power dynamics, their team also discussed and reflected on including specific keywords, such as ‘gender’, ‘women-led’ or ‘environmental racism’.

While this work remains a work in progress, it underscores the importance of being aware of the arbitrations and choices shaping categorisation and embedded in databases; and the need for ongoing team discussions to find creative ways to overcome colonial narratives and  foreground the perspectives of marginalised actors.

Finally, the three experts emphasised the potential of these databases to identify trends, provide a big-picture view, and foster future research. They also highlighted their usefulness in reaching out to grassroots actors and strengthening litigation efforts. These objectives align with the CLAIM project’s goal of designing a database that makes marginalised actors’ experiences of climate change and litigation practices visible, fostering transformative change.

We look forward to continuing these discussions and exploring future collaborations. Stay tuned for more events and updates on the new climate change litigation database!

After intense debates and negotiations, the UN General Assembly adopted a landmark resolution last Wednesday, May 20, 2026, welcoming the advisory opinion of the International Court of Justice (ICJ) on the obligations of states regarding climate change, and reaffirming that addressing the climate crisis is a legal duty under international law.

This pioneering effort was led by Vanuatu, the Small Island State that initially brought the climate change case before the ICJ at the request of a group of Pacific students. The CLAIM project precisely analyzes the interconnectedness of these various climate change litigation fora from an interdisciplinary and comparative perspective.

In February 2026, Vanuatu submitted a zero draft resolution and formed a regionally diverse Core Group, comprising Barbados, Burkina Faso, Colombia, Jamaica, Kenya, the Marshall Islands, Micronesia, the Netherlands, Palau, the Philippines, Singapore, and Sierra Leone. While the ICJ’s advisory opinion marked a significant milestone in climate litigation, it did not have the diplomatic impact hoped for at last year’s COP30 in Belém. As Vanuatu’s Minister of Climate Change, Ralph Regenvanu, stated, “Upholding the court’s clarification of existing obligations is essential for the credibility of the international system and for effective collective action.” He added that adopting the UNGA resolution would serve as “a collective act of multilateral confidence that law can help steer us through the climate crisis.” The CLAIM project aims to explore and enhance marginalized actors’ perspectives and litigation practices, like those of Small Island Developing States (SIDS).

On May 20, 2026, the UN General Assembly finally adopted the resolution titled “Protection of the global climate for present and future generations of humankind,” with 141 votes in favor, 8 against, and 28 abstentions. The resolution operationalized the ICJ’s Climate Advisory Opinion, translating its key holdings into actionable language. The CLAIM project will now monitor subsequent developments, the new opportunities it creates within legal spheres but also its impact on the multilateral system.

For a more in-depth analysis of the resolution, we invite you to read the blog post “From Opinion to Action: The General Assembly Votes to Operationalize the ICJ’s Climate Advisory Opinion” by Margaretha Wewerinke-Singh : https://www.ejiltalk.org/from-opinion-to-action-the-general-assembly-votes-to-operationalize-the-icjs-climate-advisory-opinion/