Author: Ms Chhaya Bhardwaj, Associate Professor, O P Jindal Global University and PhD Scholar at Dublin City University

The original blog was published on 30 April, 2026 and has been updated since then.

On 02 May 2026, Vanuatu made its Final Draft of the (United Nations General Assembly) UNGA Resolution on the (International Court of Justice’s advisory opinion) ICJAO public. The primary aim of this resolution is to seek co-sponsorship from States with a spirit of a unified approach to implement the ICJAO on climate change. Keeping in mind the introductory Draft of the Resolution, The World’s Youth for Climate Justice (WYCJ) reported about this, confirming three primary objectives of the draft resolution. Firstly, the endorsing States must fully and unreservedly welcome the ICJ’s advisory opinion. Secondly, States must work towards strengthening climate action in light of the legal obligations enunciated in the ICJ AO. And thirdly, the State must aim to develop mechanisms to further climate justice and ensure operationalisation of the ICJ AO. The text of the Draft was improved by inputs and consultations from the States over the course of several weeks this year. The current text is designed in a way to ensure there is “visible disciplined alignment with ICJAO” without prejudice to the respective obligations of the States.

With that background, the World’s Youth for Climate Justice and the Climate and Law Initiative India organised a webinar on 14 April 2026, to discuss Vanuatu’s draft resolution and the role India can or should play in endorsing or supporting it. The video of the webinar can be accessed here.

The webinar began with introductory remarks from Ms Nabeela Siddiqui, Assistant Professor at Vinayaka Mission’s Law School, followed by a succinct overview of the Vanuatu Draft Resolution by Ms Aditi Shetye, Lead of Strategic Litigation WYCJ. She set the background, including the resolution’s aims, objectives and implications. She also touched upon a projected timeline associated with the resolution and a general expectation from the States to directly or indirectly endorse it. With the release of the final draft of the resolution today, the resolution may be adopted by 20th May 2026. Her submission is available to read here.

This brief introduction was followed by a presentation from Ms Gunjan Soni, Int’l Lawyer, India Co-lead, WYCJ. She highlighted the role that India can play in the resolution and the implications of this role for international, regional, and domestic levels. India is a leading voice of the Global South, and by supporting this resolution, India can continue its role as a leader in the region. She also discussed several domestic measures that India has implemented to pursue domestic climate action. Her presentation is available to read here.

These discussions were followed by my submission. I talked about what it could mean to welcome the resolution “fully and unreservedly” in India. I submitted that there are visible conflicts between what India submitted during the ICJ advisory proceedings and the outcome of the proceedings. This conflict can be challenging to fully and coherently endorse the ICJ AO and its implementation for India. The endorsement may also face challenges due to the growing competition that India faces as an emerging economy. My submission can be accessed here.

After this, Ms Raushan Tara Jaswal, Assistant Professor at O. P. Jindal Global University, discussed the practicalities of strengthening climate action in line with clarified legal obligations and its domestication in India. She focused on the policy route that India has taken to take climate action, meaning the National and State Action Plans on Climate Change. While these policy plans pose implementation challenges within India, the system remains largely federally and policy-driven. In light of this, only the judiciary remains as the institution that can further some law-based climate law development in India. Such a development may not face the same challenges as policy action. Her comment can be read here.

The concluding remarks were delivered by Mr Rahul Mohanty, PhD scholar at the University of Melbourne, who spoke about the meaning of operationalisation of the advisory opinion for India. What could the mechanisms in India look like? He began by appreciating India’s contribution towards climate action and noted that there are several mechanisms in place in India. Focusing on the fast renewable energy development in India, he highlighted how, as a developing country, India is delivering its fair share of climate action. However, he highlighted that some changes in the existing system for climate action in India and its climate goals may be needed for full operationalisation of the ICJ AO. While the developed and more resourceful countries are still struggling to fully embrace green energy development, India is on the right path as a developing country. His intervention can be read here.

All the panellists agreed that India should endorse and vote in favour of Vanuatu’s Resolution to implement the ICJ AO. This positive support will be the right step for a collective climate action.