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	Sudan Conflict: 19 million people face acute food insecurity by World Food Programme, UNICEF, OCHA, agencies   May 2026   Three years of war: Sudan's people abandoned and hungry. (World Food Programme)   On the eve of three years of devastating war, the Sudanese people are still being left to cope with intense fighting and widespread suffering. Conflict is killing and injuring countless civilians, and leaving millions without access to food, shelter or sanitation, the United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) warned today.   The international community has failed to prevent and end this conflict and to protect the Sudanese people from atrocities,” said Carl Skau, WFP’s Deputy Executive Director, who just returned from Darfur.   “The people I met in camps have been through hell. They have fled their homes leaving everything behind and now live in appalling conditions. They deserve so much better. We need to make sure they are not let down again and provide the basic support they need.”   More than 19 million people still face acute hunger in Sudan, and famine continues to haunt parts of the country as violence, displacement and economic collapse grind on. Communities have been cut off from food, markets, and aid, and children have been forced to miss three years of education, with their future hanging in the balance. Sudan remains the world’s largest humanitarian crisis, with almost two‑thirds of the population now in urgent need of assistance to survive.   Sudan’s hunger crisis now risks being compounded by the escalation of the conflict in the Middle East. Disruptions in the Red Sea are delaying critical imports, driving up the cost of food, fuel and fertilizer. Fuel prices in Sudan have increased by over 24 percent, driving up food prices and leaving millions unable to afford the most basic staples.   These same disruptions are also directly impacting humanitarian operations, with delayed shipments and higher transport costs. The combined impact could push families across the country deeper into food insecurity.   “The women I spoke to across Sudan told me they don’t have enough to feed their children and have no access to the most basic services,” warned Skau. “WFP and the humanitarian community have the experience and capacity to step up our support. But to do so, we need humanitarian aid to be allowed to move freely, safely and at scale – and we need far more funding.”   WFP is hyper‑prioritizing famine zones and hard‑to‑reach areas, reaching 3.5 million people each month with emergency food, cash and nutrition assistance. Two‑thirds of those WFP assists are in Darfur and Kordofan, where famine is confirmed and where fighting is heaviest. More than two million children under five and more than 500,000 pregnant and breastfeeding women and girls benefited from nutrition assistance last year.   WFP is also sustaining livelihoods and local food systems: During the last harvest season, WFP-supported farmers produced nearly one fifth of the country’s wheat, strengthening the local economy and reducing food insecurity.   “We need to continue investing in the future of the Sudanese people,” said Skau. “We can help communities rebuild their lives by expanding our support for farmers to grow their own food again and by providing school meals to help enable children to return to school. But we need the funding to do it.”   WFP food assistance has dropped by 14 percent since January, as compared to last year, due to a lack of resources; the agency urgently requires more than USD 600 million to sustain life-saving operations in Sudan for the next six months.   http://www.wfp.org/news/three-years-war-sudans-people-abandoned-and-hungry http://www.wfp.org/news/wfp-palais-briefing-sudan-three-years-war-sudan-three-years-too-many http://www.unicef.org/child-alert/children-under-threat-darfur http://www.unicef.org/press-releases/twenty-years-after-global-outcry-children-darfur-face-deeper-crisis-and-far-less http://www.unocha.org/news/un-relief-chief-three-years-sudan-remains-test-world-failing http://www.unhcr.org/news/briefing-notes/three-years-war-weary-sudanese-remain-move http://www.unocha.org/news/sudan-three-years-crisis-world-cannot-ignore http://news.un.org/en/story/2026/04/1167301 http://www.ohchr.org/en/press-releases/2026/05/statement-un-experts-deploring-widespread-attacks-healthcare-sudan-10-years http://www.ohchr.org/en/press-releases/2026/04/un-human-rights-expert-sudan-renews-calls-dialogue-accountability-conflicts http://www.ohchr.org/en/statements-and-speeches/2026/04/high-commissioner-turk-calls-urgent-joint-action-sudan http://www.unognewsroom.org/story/en/3086/un-geneva-press-briefing-14-april-2026   http://www.nrc.no/news/2026/what-it-takes-to-eat-new-report-reveals-how-war-is-cutting-off-access-to-food-as-hunger-deepens-in-sudan http://care.ca/2026/04/13/new-report-reveals-how-war-is-cutting-off-access-to-food-in-sudan-as-hunger-deepens/ http://www.who.int/news/item/14-04-2026-after-three-years-of-conflict--sudan-faces-a-deeper-health-crisis http://www.doctorswithoutborders.org/latest/three-years-war-have-shattered-sudans-lifelines http://reliefweb.int/report/sudan/three-years-agony-sudans-children-trapped-and-carry-deepest-scars http://unocha.exposure.co/darfurs-survivors http://www.icrc.org/en/statement/icrc-president-patterns-warfare-disregard-human-life-and-dignity-cannot-continue-sudan http://www.icrc.org/en/news-release/sudan-human-cost-three-years-war http://www.ifrc.org/press-release/crisis-motion-ifrc-sounds-alarm-sudans-humanitarian-needs-escalate http://www.nrc.no/news/2026/sudan-war-refugees-pushed-into-hunger-as-livelihoods-collapse-across-the-region http://en.emergency.it/blog/from-the-field/updates-from-sudan/   http://www.hrw.org/news/2026/04/07/sudan-the-eu-must-act-for-sudans-civilians-at-three-years-of-conflict http://www.globalr2p.org/publications/ngo-statement-on-the-international-coalition-to-prevent-further-atrocities-in-sudan/ http://www.globalr2p.org/publications/atrocity-alert-no-471/ http://www.amnesty.org/en/latest/news/2026/04/three-years-on-sudans-warring-parties-intensify-war-against-civilians/ http://www.hrw.org/news/2026/03/11/new-sudan-atrocity-prevention-coalition-needs-to-act-fast http://reliefweb.int/report/sudan/sudan-high-income-countries-must-use-berlin-meeting-save-lives-conflict-hits-three-year-mark http://www.thenewhumanitarian.org/opinion/2026/04/14/sudanese-communities-are-rebuilding-under-fire-will-berlin-back-them http://www.chathamhouse.org/2026/04/africa-aware-emergency-response-rooms-sudans-humanitarian-lifeline http://www.crisisgroup.org/anb/africa/sudan-egypt-saudi-arabia-united-arab-emirates-united-states/latest-sudan-conference-shows-diplomacy-backsliding http://humanitarianaction.info/plan/1514 http://news.un.org/en/tags/sudan   Ferb. 2026   Atrocities in Sudan’s Darfur region are spreading from town to town in an organized campaign of violence that includes mass executions, rape and ethnic targeting, amounting to war crimes and crimes against humanity, the prosecutor of the International Criminal Court told the UN Security Council on Monday.   Briefing ambassadors, ICC Deputy Prosecutor Nazhat Shameem Khan said the situation in Darfur had “darkened even further,” with civilians subjected to what she described as collective torture amid a widening war between Sudan’s rival military forces.   “The picture that is emerging is appalling: organised, widespread, mass criminality including mass executions,” Ms. Khan said. “Atrocities are used as a tool to assert control.”   Sudan has been engulfed in conflict since April 2023, when fighting erupted between former allies the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF) and the paramilitary Rapid Support Forces militia (RSF).   What began as a power struggle metastasised into conflicts across the country, most devastating in the Darfur region, which also saw longstanding ethnic tensions – which prompted allegations of genocide in the early 2000s – being reignited.   She said the fall of North Darfur’s regional capital El Fasher to the RSF had been followed by a “calculated campaign of the most profound suffering,” particularly targeting non-Arab communities.   The crimes, she said, include rape, arbitrary detention, executions and the creation of mass graves, often filmed and celebrated by perpetrators.   Based on video, audio and satellite evidence collected, the ICC Prosecutor has concluded that war crimes and crimes against humanity were committed in El Fasher, particularly in late October, following a prolonged RSF siege of the city.   Ms. Khan said video footage showed patterns similar to those documented in earlier atrocities in Darfur, including the detention, mistreatment and killing of civilians from non-Arab tribes.   “Members of the RSF are seen celebrating direct executions and subsequently desecrating corpses,” she said.   The Office of the Prosecutor is also advancing investigations into crimes committed in El Geneina, where witnesses have provided accounts of attacks on displacement camps, looting, gender-based violence and crimes against children.   In 2023, El Geneina witnessed some of the worst violence of the war as RSF fighters and allied militias carried out massacres against the Massalit community, forcing hundreds of thousands to flee into neighbouring Chad.   UN officials and human rights investigators described the violence as ethnically motivated and warned of possible crimes against humanity.   Evidence now indicates that the patterns of atrocities seen in El Geneina have since been replicated in El Fasher, Ms. Khan said.   “This criminality is being repeated in town after town in Darfur,” she warned. “It will continue until this conflict, and the sense of impunity that fuels it, are stopped.”   Sexual violence, including rape, is being used as a weapon of war, Ms. Khan said, adding that gender-based crimes remain a priority for ICC investigations. She acknowledged cultural and security barriers that prevent survivors from reporting abuse, stressing the need for gender-sensitive and survivor-centred investigations.   While much of the briefing focused on RSF abuses, the Deputy Prosecutor said the ICC was also documenting allegations of crimes committed by the Sudanese Armed Forces (SAF), underscoring that all parties to the conflict are bound by international law to protect civilians.   Ms. Khan cited the conviction last October of Ali Muhammad Ali Abd-Al-Rahman, known as Ali Kushayb – a former Janjaweed militia leader – as a landmark step toward accountability, but cautioned that the scale of ongoing atrocities far outweighed any sense of progress.   She closed with a pointed call on Sudanese authorities to act against senior suspects long sought by the Court, including former president Omar al-Bashir, former interior minister Ahmad Harun and former defence minister Abdel Raheem Muhammad Hussein.   “Action must now be taken,” she said, warning that justice for Darfur’s victims would remain hollow without arrests at the highest level.   http://news.un.org/en/story/2026/01/1166790 http://www.icc-cpi.int/news/statement-icc-office-prosecutor-situation-el-fasher-north-darfur http://www.ohchr.org/en/press-releases/2026/02/sudan-evidence-el-fasher-reveals-genocidal-campaign-targeting-non-arab http://www.ohchr.org/en/hr-bodies/hrc/ffm-sudan/index http://www.ohchr.org/en/statements-and-speeches/2026/02/high-commissioner-turk-calls-states-do-more-end-senseless-war-sudan http://sihanet.org/statement-by-ms-hala-alkarbi-siha-network-regional-director-un-security-council-briefing-on-sudan/ http://www.msf.org/msf-report-finds-no-safe-places-women-and-girls-darfur http://www.unwomen.org/en/articles/in-focus/sudan http://news.un.org/en/story/2026/02/1167003 http://www.unocha.org/news/ocha-urges-security-council-protect-civilians-and-aid-workers-sudan   Jan. 2026   1,000 days of war has devastating impact on the children of Sudan. (UNICEF)   “Since fighting erupted in April 2023, Sudan has become one of the largest and most devastating humanitarian crises in the world, pushing millions of children to the brink of survival.   A profound protection crisis with widespread violations of international law by parties to the conflict, exacerbated by a lack of humanitarian access, has deepened with each of the 1,000 days of agony that have passed.   "In 2026, 33.7 million people, about two-thirds of the population, are expected to need urgent humanitarian assistance. Half of them are children. Affected populations’ access to lifesaving aid remains dangerously constrained across large parts of the country, intensifying the humanitarian crisis.   “Children continue to be killed and injured – just this week, 8 children were killed in an attack in Al Obeid in North Kordofan.   “More than 5 million children have been forced from their homes – the equivalent of 5,000 children displaced every day - many of them repeatedly, with attacks and violence often following them as they move. Millions of children in Sudan are at risk of rape and other forms of sexual violence, which is being used as a tactic of war, with children as young as one reported among survivors.   "An estimated 21 million people are expected to face acute food insecurity in 2026. Famine has already been confirmed in Al Fasher and Kadugli, with an additional 20 areas across Greater Darfur and Greater Kordofan at risk.   In North Darfur, the epicentre of Sudan’s malnutrition emergency, nearly 85,000 children with severe acute malnutrition were treated between January and November 2025, equivalent to one child every six minutes.   The collapse of health systems, critical water shortages and the breakdown of basic services are compounding the crisis, fuelling deadly disease outbreaks and placing an estimated 3.4 million children under five at risk.   “Behind these numbers are lives marked by fear, hunger and loss, as the conflict continues to rob children of safety, health and hope.   “Despite these extraordinary insecurity and access constraints, life-saving assistance continues to reach children wherever possible.   UNICEF and partners are delivering support to treat severe malnutrition, vaccinate against deadly diseases, provide safe drinking water, and offer protection and care to children affected by violence and displacement as funding permits.   “These efforts are keeping children alive under the most difficult conditions, but they remain far from sufficient in the absence of sustained access, adequate funding and a meaningful reduction in hostilities. Humanitarian action can save lives, but it cannot replace the protection that only peace can provide.   “UNICEF is urgently calling for an immediate end to the conflict. All parties must uphold their obligations under international humanitarian law: protect civilians, stop attacks on infrastructure, and allow safe, sustained and unimpeded humanitarian access across Sudan.   “Children in Sudan are not statistics. They are frightened, displaced and hungry, but they are also determined, resourceful and resilient. Every day, they strive to learn, to play, to hope, even as they wait for the world to act. Ending this conflict is a moral necessity. It cannot wait.”   http://www.unicef.org/press-releases/children-sudan-have-endured-1000-days-agony http://www.unicef.org/press-releases/nutrition-survey-finds-unprecedented-level-child-malnutrition-part-sudans-north http://www.unicef.org/press-releases/unicef-executive-director-warns-deepening-protection-crisis-sudan-violence-and http://www.wfp.org/news/families-sudan-pushed-brink-amidst-brutal-conflict-and-famine-wfp-resources-dry   Sudan: Two-thirds of people need aid as conflict reaches 1,000th day. (OCHA)   Today marks 1,000 days since the start of the war in Sudan, with civilians continuing to bear the brunt of a conflict they did not choose. Nearly 34 million people – or some two-thirds of the population – now need humanitarian assistance, making this the world’s largest humanitarian crisis.   It is also the largest displacement crisis, with 9.3 million people displaced inside the country and more than 4.3 million refugees in neighbouring states.   Food security conditions are catastrophic. Famine has been confirmed in El Fasher in North Darfur and in Kadugli in South Kordofan, with at least 20 other areas at risk. More than 21 million people are estimated to be acutely food insecure nationwide. Sieges in Kordofan have cut off Kadugli and Dilling, limiting access to food, markets and farmland.   The health system is close to collapse. Fewer than half of health facilities are fully functional, with even lower coverage in areas of active fighting. Cholera has been reported in all 18 states, with more than 72,000 suspected cases recorded last year.   Nearly 12 million people, mostly women and girls, are at risk of gender-based violence. Households headed by women are three times more likely to be food insecure, and three-quarters report not having enough to eat.   OCHA also reports continued fighting in Darfur, drone attacks and long-range strikes on civilian infrastructure.   Despite the mounting challenges, humanitarian partners reached nearly 19 million people in 2025, with local and women-led organizations often serving as the first or only responders in high-risk areas. However, access remains dangerous and politically constrained, and more than 125 aid workers have been killed since April 2023.   OCHA calls for an immediate cessation of hostilities, respect for international humanitarian law, safe access for aid, protection of civilians and aid workers, and renewed funding, especially for local and women-led partners.   http://humanitarianaction.info/document/global-humanitarian-overview-2026/article/sudan-4 http://www.unocha.org/news/todays-top-news-sudan-ukraine-occupied-palestinian-territory http://humanitarianaction.info/document/global-humanitarian-overview-2026 http://news.un.org/en/audio/2026/01/1166795 http://www.ohchr.org/en/statements-and-speeches/2026/01/visiting-turk-salutes-sudanese-peoples-struggle-peace-calls http://www.wfp.org/news/families-sudan-pushed-brink-amidst-brutal-conflict-and-famine-wfp-resources-dry Visit the related web page
	The right to a clean, healthy and sustainable environment by International Court of Justice, WMO, OHCHR   Statement issued by UN Climate Change Executive Secretary Simon Stiell on 28th July 2026, as spiraling climate-driven disasters put lives at risk and hammer economies around the world:   "The climate alarm is blaring, from every direction. Around the world, climate-driven disasters are reaching nightmare proportions, as the costs of humanity’s addiction to burning coal, oil and gas keep spiraling upwards.   Record-breaking wildfires tearing through France, Spain and other parts of Europe, forcing mass evacuations and hammering regional and national economies, follow brutal heatwaves that have dried out landscapes. With the mercury set to soar again this week, the awful costs of this climate crisis – both human and economic – are now reaching national emergency levels.   In North Africa, temperatures are approaching 49°C, putting lives and livelihoods in grave jeopardy, and putting hospitals and power systems under severe strain. In Chile, deadly storms have destroyed homes and lives. While in Japan, records are tumbling as temperatures soar, now reaching the longest 40°C heat streak ever recorded.   These spiraling disasters are now the lived reality for billions in a world getting rapidly hotter, as humanity moves too slowly from fossil fuels to clean energy and to protect forests.   The science on the cause is unequivocal: global heating, driven by humanity burning colossal amounts of coal, oil and gas, is making protracted heatwaves, severe floods and violent mega-storms more frequent, more intense and more costly.   What needs to be done is equally clear: leave coal, oil and gas behind faster, scale up renewables, and protect people where the impacts are already hitting hardest. Many vulnerable countries on the frontlines need support to move at the speed and scale this crisis demands.   http://unfccc.int/news/un-climate-chief-the-climate-alarm-is-blaring-from-every-direction http://unfccc.int/news/un-climate-chief-europe-s-savage-heatwave-has-the-fingerprints-of-the-climate-crisis-all-over-it http://www.amnesty.org/en/latest/news/2026/07/global-extreme-heat-as-rights-burn/ http://wmo.int/news/media-centre/new-report-suggests-more-global-temperature-records-ahead http://wmo.int/news/media-centre/earths-climate-swings-increasingly-out-of-balance   20 May 2026   United Nations General Assembly backs historic World Court climate crisis ruling.   A landmark UN General Assembly resolution adopted on Wednesday is “a powerful affirmation” of international law, climate justice and science, according to UN chief Antonio Guterres.   The Secretary-General said it makes clear Member States’ responsibility to protect their own people from what is an “escalating climate crisis”.   The resolution drawn up by Vanuatu - a Pacific island nation on the frontline of the climate crisis, and several other countries - was adopted after intense discussion with 141 votes in favour, eight against and 28 abstentions. Those voting against were Belarus, Iran, Israel, Liberia, Russia, Saudi Arabia, the US and Yemen.   When the International Court of Justice (ICJ), the UN’s principal judicial body, ruled in July 2025 that States have an obligation to protect the environment from greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions, the decision was hailed as a breakthrough. The UN chief described it simply as “a victory for our planet”.   The Court also ruled that if States breach these obligations, they are legally responsible and may be legally required to stop the wrongful conduct, offer guarantees that it won’t happen again, and make full reparation, depending on the circumstances.   Although the ICJ’s advisory opinions are not binding, they carry significant legal and moral authority – helping to clarify and develop international law by defining States’ legal obligations.   The General Assembly adoption following up on the ruling, sends a strong message that tackling the climate crisis is a legal duty under international law, and not just a political choice. “The world’s highest court has spoken,” responded Mr. Guterres. “Today, the General Assembly has answered.”   What’s in the resolution?   The resolution calls on all UN Member States to take all possible steps to avoid causing significant damage to the climate and environment, including emissions produced within their borders, and to follow through on their existing climate pledges under the Paris Agreement.   Governments are urged to cooperate in good faith and continuously coordinate efforts to tackle climate change globally and ensure that climate policies safeguard the rights to life, health, and an adequate standard of living.   In a statement released after the General Assembly vote, Mr. Guterres declared that those least responsible for climate change are paying the highest price, and that the path to climate justice “runs through a rapid, just, and equitable transition away from fossil fuels towards renewable energy.”   The UN Secretary-General noted that renewables have proved to be the cheapest and most secure form of energy and that the goal of keeping global temperature rises to no more than 1.5 degrees above pre-industrial levels is still within reach.   http://news.un.org/en/story/2026/05/1167561   15 May 2026   Speech by Mr Iwasawa Yuji, President of the International Court of Justice, at the Seventy-Seventh session of the International Law Commission. (Extract)   “The Advisory Opinion on the Obligations of States in respect of Climate Change was rendered on 23 July 2025. The level of participation in these proceedings was unprecedented. Ninety-six States and eleven international organizations presented their views during the oral hearings held in December 2025. The Opinion of the Court was adopted unanimously.   The General Assembly put two questions to the Court. The first concerned the obligations of States under international law to ensure the protection of the climate system and other parts of the environment from anthropogenic emissions of greenhouse gases. The second question concerned the legal consequences under these obligations for States where they have caused significant harm to the climate system and other parts of the environment.   In its Advisory Opinion, the Court noted that the consequences of climate change were severe and far-reaching, affecting both natural ecosystems and human populations, and posing an urgent and existential threat.   In examining these consequences, the Court relied on the reports of the IPCC as the best available science on the causes, nature and consequences of climate change.   With regard to the first question relating to the obligations of States in respect of climate change, the Court determined that the most directly relevant applicable law consists of the Charter of the United Nations, the three climate change treaties (namely the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, the Kyoto Protocol and the Paris Agreement), the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea, the Ozone Layer Convention, the Montreal Protocol, the Biodiversity Convention and the Desertification Convention.   The Court further determined that the customary duty of States to prevent significant harm to the environment and the duty to co-operate for the protection of the environment also form part of the most directly relevant applicable law.   The Court likewise stated that the core human rights treaties and human rights recognized under customary international law form part of the most directly relevant applicable law.   Finally, the Court found that the principles of sustainable development, common but differentiated responsibilities and respective capabilities, equity, intergenerational equity and the precautionary approach or principle are applicable as guiding principles for the interpretation and application of the most directly relevant legal rules.   The Court rejected the argument that the climate change treaties constitute lex specialis excluding the application of other rules of international law. The Court explained that the climate change treaties set forth binding obligations for States parties to ensure the protection of the climate system from anthropogenic greenhouse gas emissions.   It added that these obligations are stringent and notably include an obligation to prepare, communicate and maintain successive and progressive nationally determined contributions which, inter alia, when taken together, are capable of achieving the temperature goal of limiting global warming to 1.5°C above pre-industrial levels.   Concerning the obligations of States under customary international law, the Court noted that States are under a duty to prevent significant harm to the environment and that, to this end, due diligence is the required standard of conduct.   The Court further noted that the duty to co-operate for the protection of the environment has a customary character, and it emphasized the importance of co-operation for the protection of the climate system.   The Court considered that the obligations arising from the climate change treaties and State practice in implementing them inform the general customary obligations, just as the general customary obligations provide guidance for the interpretation of the climate change treaties.   The Court further considered that UNCLOS (United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea), the relevant environmental treaties, the climate change treaties and the relevant obligations under customary international law inform each other and are each relevant to the implementation of the other.   With respect to sea level rise, the Court considered that the provisions of UNCLOS do not require States parties, in the context of physical changes resulting from climate-change related sea level rise, to update their charts or lists of geographical coordinates that show the baselines and outer limit lines of their maritime zones once they have been duly established in conformity with the Convention. The Court also clarified that once a State is established, the disappearance of one of its constituent elements would not necessarily entail the loss of its statehood.   The Court then examined the obligations of States under international human rights law. Taking into account the adverse effects of climate change on the enjoyment of human rights, the Court considered that the full enjoyment of human rights cannot be ensured without the protection of the climate system.   The Court next addressed the second question relating to the legal consequences. It underlined that State responsibility for breaches of obligations under the climate change treaties is to be determined by applying the well-established rules on State responsibility under customary international law.   The Court noted that breaches of States’ obligations under the first question might give rise to the entire panoply of legal consequences provided for under the law of State responsibility. These include cessation and non-repetition, as well as reparation, including restitution, compensation and/or satisfaction”.   http://www.icj-cij.org/home   UN experts urge states to support United Nations General Assembly resolution operationalising ICJ Advisory Opinion on climate obligations. (OHCHR)   All states must support a UN General Assembly resolution upholding the 2025 Advisory Opinion by the International Court of Justice (ICJ) on climate change obligations, UN experts said today, expressing concern about attempts to block discussion of the proposal.   “The timing of the General Assembly resolution is critical,” the experts said, as the Pacific island nation of Vanuatu leads negotiations on the resolution during the second half of May.   The proposal comes amidst new data indicating that the 1.5°C limit on global temperature rise under the Paris Agreement could be exceeded as early as May 2029, and recent cyclones, hurricanes, forest fires and floods across Asia, Latin America and the Caribbean, Europe and Africa have already caused severe human rights impacts and losses.   “The Advisory Opinion was unanimous in response to a consensus request from the General Assembly,” they recalled. “The Opinion is based on a range of international legally binding sources of international law on how to effectively prevent further climate harm and its devastating impacts on lives, societies and economies.”   “We are gravely concerned about attempts to block the resolution from being considered at the UNGA,” the experts said. “States must comply with their obligations to cooperate in the effective protection of the environment, the climate system and human rights.”   “There is a disturbing pattern of growing obstruction across UN processes against explicit references to fossil fuels and the ICJ Advisory Opinion, including at the Human Rights Council,” they warned.   They noted that States at the UN Climate Conference of November 2025 (COP30) were unable to uphold the legal and scientific standards clarified by the ICJ, or agree on meaningful outcomes on climate mitigation.   “States must not delay “difficult” conversations,” the experts said, calling on countries to step up efforts to find inclusive, meaningful ways to comply with international obligations and effectively protect people from inter-linked planetary crises, growing economic inequality and armed aggression connected with the fossil fuel-based economy.   “We applaud over 80 States from different regions that pointed out the problematic dynamics at COP30 and launched a separate multilateral conference to advance concrete and fair action to transition away from fossil fuels, under the leadership of Colombia and the Netherlands.”   The draft resolution could support a collaborative and inclusive approach to fulfilling States’ obligations to legislate on the fossil fuel phase-out, remove fossil fuel subsidies, document climate harm and respond to reparation claims, the experts said.   These efforts could complement the Paris Agreement’s Loss and Damage Fund, which remains severely underfunded and in need of reform to support affected communities.   “Instead of resorting to adversarial measures, States must see this resolution as something that will benefit them all, through mutual learning and international cooperation on the climate crisis that is spreading across all continents,” they said.   The experts recalled that reparations identified by the ICJ overlap with States’ pre-existing obligations to prevent environmental and human rights harm, conserve and restore ecosystems, and fund effective environmental action in countries most affected by climate change and least responsible for it.   “A UN General Assembly resolution will set the direction for multilateral action towards the effective protection of the right to a clean, healthy and sustainable environment, including a safe climate, as a precondition for peace and the enjoyment of all human rights by present and future generations,” they said.   United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights Volker Turk hails landmark ICJ ruling affirming States’ human rights obligations with respect to climate change.   The Advisory Opinion issued by the International Court of Justice (ICJ) on States’ obligations regarding climate change is a sweeping victory for all those who are fighting to protect a safe climate and planet for all humanity, UN Human Rights Chief Volker Turk said.   “This Opinion by the world’s highest court is an authoritative, clear and indisputable affirmation of the far-ranging impacts of climate change and the broad extent of obligations of States, under human rights law and beyond, to act urgently to stem the damage,” the High Commissioner said. “It is also a testament to the power of the inspiring Pacific Islands students’ movement, and many other activists, whose initiative led Vanuatu and other Pacific Island States to start the process at the UN General Assembly to request this Opinion.”   The Opinion, which was issued on Wednesday, makes clear that human rights law and obligations apply in the context of climate change, and must be taken into full account by States. This includes the human right to life, as well as to a clean, healthy and sustainable environment, which is foundational for the effective enjoyment of all human rights, according to the Court.   According to the decision, States have a duty “to use all means at their disposal to prevent activities carried out within their jurisdiction or control from causing significant harm to the climate system and other parts of the environment”.   The “failure of a State to take appropriate action to protect the climate system from greenhouse gas emissions - including through fossil fuel production, fossil fuel consumption, the granting of fossil fuel exploration licences or the provision of fossil fuel subsidies - may constitute an internationally wrongful act which is attributable to that State”, the ICJ added. The legal consequences may require States to cease harmful activities, provide assurances and guarantees of non-repetition, including through effective regulation of the private sector, and provide reparations for climate harms, the court said.   “The emphasis by the Court on international human rights law sends a powerful message,” Türk said. In its analysis, the Court referenced the work of the UN Human Rights Office and other human rights mechanisms, at international and regional levels.   “Importantly, this landmark legal position affirms the central role of human rights law in addressing the devastating consequences of the climate crisis. It acknowledges the existential character of that crisis and finds that climate harms - despite all their complexities - are actionable under familiar principles of international law. The Court has provided a roadmap for people and Governments to seek the transformative change and accountability we need in the fight against climate change, now and in the future.   “States now urgently need to take meaningful action through legislation, policy change, resource mobilisation and international cooperation, to stop the climate crisis from worsening and open paths towards due reparations for those affected,” the High Commissioner added.   http://www.ohchr.org/en/press-releases/2026/05/un-experts-welcome-un-general-assembly-resolution-supporting-world-courts http://www.ohchr.org/en/statements-and-speeches/2026/06/un-negotiations-must-advance-implementation-state-obligations http://www.ohchr.org/en/press-releases/2026/03/un-experts-urge-states-support-general-assembly-resolution-operationalising http://www.ohchr.org/en/press-releases/2025/07/turk-hails-landmark-icj-ruling-affirming-states-human-rights-obligations http://www.lse.ac.uk/granthaminstitute/news/institute-responds-to-international-court-of-justice-advisory-opinion/ http://www.amnesty.org/en/latest/news/2026/02/global-governments-must-use-new-un-general-assembly-resolution-to-turn-icjs-advisory-opinion-on-climate-change-into-robust-action http://www.hrw.org/news/2026/03/16/governments-should-support-vanuatus-un-climate-resolution http://www.coe.int/en/web/commissioner/-/climate-action-and-accountability-for-survival http://theelders.org/news/climate-and-rule-law-why-states-must-step-now http://www.project-syndicate.org/commentary/un-resolution-advancing-icj-climate-ruling-by-ralph-regenvanu-2026-05/   http://www.ciel.org/news/icj-climate-opinion-ends-fossil-fuel-impunity/ http://wwf.panda.org/wwf_news/press_releases/?14459466/ICJ-advisory-opinion-climate-change http://www.amnesty.org/en/latest/news/2025/07/global-international-court-of-justices-landmark-opinion-bolsters-fight-for-climate-justice-and-accountability/ http://blog.ucs.org/delta-merner/five-reasons-why-the-icj-climate-advisory-opinion-matters/ http://www.clientearth.org/latest/press-office/press-releases/world-s-highest-court-confirms-countries-must-act-to-avert-climate-catastrophe-in-a-once-in-a-generation-legal-decision/ http://earth.org/landmark-moment-for-climate-justice-reactions-pour-in-after-icj-delivers-historic-opinion-on-states-climate-change-obligations/   May 2026   Final text of UN climate resolution released ahead of 20 May vote - Pacific Islands Students Fighting Climate Change   The final text of the United Nations General Assembly resolution responding to the International Court of Justice's 2025 climate Advisory Opinion has been released, marking a pivotal step in the global effort to translate legal consensus into coordinated political action. The resolution is expected to come to a vote on 20 May 2026.   The resolution's objectives are clear. It seeks to give effect to the ICJ's Advisory Opinion by establishing coordinated global follow-up, reaffirming that international law — including human rights law, the law of the sea, and customary international law — applies to State conduct on climate change.   It calls for implementation pathways consistent with the Court's findings, supports continued attention to the rights of present and future generations, and anchors climate cooperation in the legal obligations States already owe one another and to the planet. We call on all states to co-sponsor the resolution and vote yes on 20 May.   http://www.pisfcc.org/news/final-text-of-un-climate-resolution-released-ahead-of-20-may-vote http://www.pisfcc.org/s/Final-UNGA-Resolution-ICJ-AO-CC-30426.pdf http://www.unep.org/championsofearth/index.php/laureates/2025/pacific-island-students-fighting-climate-change http://www.amnesty.org/en/latest/campaigns/2026/04/a-un-climate-change-resolution-that-may-shift-climate-accountability-for-decades/   * ICJ Summary: Obligation of States in respect of climate change (7pp): http://www.icj-cij.org/sites/default/files/case-related/187/187-20250723-pre-01-00-en.pdf   * ICJ complete advisory: Obligation of States in respect of climate change (140pp): http://www.icj-cij.org/sites/default/files/case-related/187/187-20250723-adv-01-00-en.pdf   http://news.un.org/en/story/2025/07/1165475 http://webtv.un.org/en/asset/k1t/k1tey5ro2w http://www.icj-cij.org/case/187/press-releases   24 Apr. 2026   The First Conference on Transitioning Away from Fossil Fuels aims to advance collective efforts to phase out fossil fuels. The conference will identify legal, economic, and social pathways to phase out fossil fuels.   The Governments of Colombia and the Netherlands announced their intent to co-host the conference after the 2025 UN Climate Change Conference (UNFCCC COP 30) negotiations did not result in an agreement on phasing out fossil fuels. In response, the governments proposed continuing the momentum for an equitable roadmap for the global phaseout of fossil fuels.   The conference will advance international cooperation on transitioning away from fossil fuel extraction in line with the ‘Belem Declaration on the Just Transition Away from Fossil Fuels’.   The conference takes place from 28-29 April, bringing together countries, subnational actors, Indigenous Peoples and local communities, scientists, non-governmental organizations (NGOs), and other stakeholders. Over 60 countries are taking part in the Conference.   The event will serve as “the first implementation-focused global Conference, intended to support practical action by those already prepared to move forward.”   The event will not conclude with a negotiated outcome, but will “generate shared understanding and actionable guidance that can help accelerate a just, orderly, and equitable transition away from fossil fuels.”   Apr. 2026   The overwhelming majority of the world’s people – 80-89% of them – want their governments to take stronger climate action, by Mark Hertsgaard and Kyle Pope for Covering Climate Now.   The Iran war is also a climate war. Beyond its terrible human costs, the war’s disruptions of oil, gas, fertilizer and other shipments is another reminder of the risks inherent in basing the world economy on fossil fuels.   The climate system with ever expanding greenhouse gas emissions is already “very close” to a point of no return, scientists say, after which runaway global warming could not be stopped. Nevertheless, those committed to fossil fuels around the world continue doing their utmost to stave off a desperately needed course correction.   Now, a little noticed ray of hope may be peeking over the horizon.   At the UN Cop30 climate summit last November, Saudi Arabia led a group of petrostates in vetoing calls to develop a “roadmap” to phase out fossil fuels globally; indeed, the words “fossil fuels” were not even mentioned in the final text agreed at Cop30. But the 85 countries on the losing end of that veto may soon turn the tables.   Many of those governments will gather in Colombia on 28-29 April for a conference to begin a global transition away from oil, gas and coal. Critically, the First International Conference on the Just Transition Away from Fossil Fuels will not be governed by UN rules, which require consensus, but by majority rule, thus preventing a handful of countries from sabotaging progress as petrostates did at Cop30.   What’s more, the underlying terrain of this conference will no longer be principally politics, but economics, the market forces that shape the world economy.   The conference is co-sponsored by Colombia and the Netherlands, with organizers confirming that they have invited countries that endorsed the roadmap proposal at Cop30, as well as leaders of sub-national governments.   The conference aims to begin drawing up the roadmap blocked at Cop30. Energy and environment ministers of governments comprising a “coalition of the willing” will share plans to transition their economies away from oil, gas and coal without leaving workers and communities behind. Joining them will be climate activists, leaders of Indigenous peoples, trade union representatives and other civil society voices, sharing ideas and experiences on how to make the abstract goal of phasing out fossil fuels a practical reality.   The goal of the conference is to agree on “actionable solutions” that follow-up meetings can refine so governments around the world can implement them.   One area of focus will be how to phase out the $7tn a year governments spend subsidizing fossil fuels – but to do so without punishing communities, workers and tax bases that rely on such subsidies.   At least 85 countries at Cop30 backed developing a roadmap to phase out fossil fuels. Included among them were the global north states Germany, the United Kingdom, France and Spain – the world’s third, sixth, seventh and 12th biggest economies. Brazil and Mexico, the world’s 10th and 13th biggest economies, also backed the measure.   Combine the gross national products of those 85 countries and the total is $33.3tn. That’s larger than the $30.6tn GNP of the US, the world’s biggest economy, and considerably larger than the $19.4tn GNP of China, the world’s second-biggest economy.   This gives those 85 countries enormous potential leverage. If those attending the Just Transition conference can outline a credible roadmap for phasing out fossil fuels for the wider group to unite behind, it could send a clear signal to financial markets and government ministries around the world.   “A coalition of that scale signaling its intent to move beyond fossil fuels would send an unmistakable message that the age of oil, gas, and coal is ending, and the smart money is shifting,” Mohamed Adow, director of the non-profit Power Shift Africa, said in an interview.   Money follows money. If a large chunk of the global economy announces that it intends to leave fossil fuels behind – and releases transparent, convincing plans for doing so – private investors and government planners everywhere would have to question whether sinking new money into oil exploration, coal mining, or gas terminals makes financial sense or would instead leave them with virtually worthless stranded assets.   Much the same thing happened after the 2015 Paris agreement. When governments pledged to limit temperature rise to “well below” 2C and to aim for 1.5C, public and private sector leaders began changing course. Fossil fuel expansions were scaled back, renewable energy investments boosted.   Before the Paris agreement, the planet was on track toward a hellish 4C of temperature rise. Five years later, the emissions curve had bent to a 2.7C future – still much too high, but a step in the right direction, and proof that change is possible.   The Just Transition conference underscores a point often missed in the usual narrative on climate change: the overwhelming majority of the world’s people – 80-89% of them – want their governments to take stronger climate action. Scientists have long been clear that phasing out fossil fuels is imperative to limit global warming to an amount our civilization can survive.   * Mark Hertsgaard and Kyle Pope are co-founders of the global journalism collaboration Covering Climate Now   http://transitionawayconference.com/ http://transitionawayconference.com/press-releases http://transitionawayconference.com/contributions http://enb.iisd.org/transition-away-fossil-fuels-1-summary http://genevasolutions.news/climate-environment/a-breath-of-fresh-air-first-conference-to-quit-fossil-fuels-ends-in-optimism http://coveringclimatenow.org/from-us-story/santa-marta-may-be-a-game-changing-moment/ http://wwf.panda.org/wwf_news/press_releases/?15886841/WWF-Santa-Marta-marks-a-pivotal-milestone-in-implementing-the-fossil-fuel-transition http://climatenetwork.org/2026/04/30/santa-marta-plants-the-seeds-of-a-fossil-free-future-civil-society-will-hold-governments-to-account http://globalwitness.org/en/campaigns/fossil-fuels/santa-marta-opened-a-new-chapter-for-the-fossil-fuel-transition-now-comes-the-hard-part http://fossilfreerising.org/declaration http://www.ciel.org/news/santa-marta-fossil-fuel-phaseout/ http://www.amnesty.org/en/latest/news/2026/04/santa-marta-conference http://www.amnesty.org/en/latest/campaigns/2026/04/fossil-fuel-treaty/ http://www.amnesty.org/en/documents/ior40/0863/2026/en/   http://www.sei.org/perspectives/lessons-santa-marta-process-power-pathways-beyond-fossil-fuels/ http://www.sei.org/about-sei/press-room/credit-ratings-slowing-africas-energy-transition/ http://www.sei.org/tools/fossil-fuel-transparency-platform/ http://www.iisd.org/articles/insight/what-happened-santa-marta http://www.iied.org/santa-marta-conference-highlights-legal-barriers-energy-transition http://www.iied.org/too-hot-work-too-poor-rest http://www.iied.org/rising-heat-levels-mean-increased-risks-for-women-informal-settlements http://www.carbonbrief.org/santa-marta-key-outcomes-from-first-summit-on-transitioning-away-from-fossil-fuels/ http://www.genevaenvironmentnetwork.org/resources/updates/climate-action-from-geneva-to-santa-marta-first-conference-on-transitioning-away-from-fossil-fuels/ http://www.fossilfueltreaty.org/briefing-pack http://www.fossilfueltreaty.org/latest#newsroom   http://www.theguardian.com/environment/2026/apr/30/colombia-climate-talks-end-fossil-fuel-phaseout http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2026/apr/07/iran-war-oil-phase-out-fossil-fuels http://theconversation.com/countries-must-back-commitments-to-transition-from-fossil-fuels-with-action-282118 http://tinyurl.com/5art45d3 http://www.iisd.org/events/inside-first-conference-transitioning-away-fossil-fuels http://www.iisd.org/articles/press-release/governments-five-times-more-public-money-fossil-fuels-than-renewables http://iwgia.org/en/news/6136-a-just-future-beyond-fossil-fuels-indigenous-peoples-rights.html http://350.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/Out-Report-Pocket-Full-Report.pdf http://unfccc.int/news/un-climate-chief-in-brussels-fossil-fuel-dependency-is-ripping-away-national-security-and http://news.un.org/en/story/2026/03/1167135 http://wmo.int/news/media-centre/earths-climate-swings-increasingly-out-of-balance http://www.unognewsroom.org/story/en/3060/wmo-presser-state-of-the-global-climate-2025-report/9190 http://www.pik-potsdam.de/en/news/latest-news/significant-acceleration-of-global-warming-since-2015 http://www.clientearth.org/latest/news/fossil-fuels-and-energy-security-what-s-the-issue/   http://www.france24.com/en/live-news/20260508-eu-monitor-says-sea-temperatures-near-all-time-highs-as-el-nino-looms http://www.bbc.com/weather/articles/cvgzn11v421o http://climate.copernicus.eu/sea-surface-temperatures-approach-record-levels-march http://www.who.int/europe/news/item/17-05-2026-climate-change-is-a-health-crisis---and-fixing-it-is-a-health-opportunity http://www.who.int/europe/publications/m/item/pan-european-commission-on-climate-and-health--call-to-action Visit the related web page
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