Source: Save the Children
One year after the landmark International Court of Justice ruling on states’ climate change responsibilities, Save the Children is calling for more child-focused climate adaptation financing, as children and young people bear the brunt of the ongoing climate emergency.
The Advisory Opinion, delivered by the International Court of Justice (ICJ) on 23 July 2025, found that states’ legal obligations to address climate change extends beyond existing climate agreements. The ICJ said that a state’s failure to take appropriate action to protect the climate system from greenhouse gas emissions “may constitute an international wrongful act which is attributable to that state”.
The United Nations General Assembly in New York adopted a landmark resolution in May that endorsed the ICJ’s historic advisory opinion on state climate obligations. The resolution, drawn up by Vanuatu, clarifies that nations have a binding legal duty to protect the climate system under international law.
Save the Children NextGen Youth Ambassador, 17-year-old Vepaiamele, travelled to The Hague with the Government of Vanuatu’s delegation to represent the voices of children and young people in the Pacific back in 2024. “What the court confirmed was that protecting the climate system isn’t optional. It’s an obligation under international law and must be consistent with what was agreed to under the Paris Agreement,” she said.
“We welcome the international community’s focus on the Pacific’s ‘vulnerability’ in a changing climate. But on behalf of Pacific youth, we are here to say, work for and with us to give us the agency, the platform to address the issues that affect us in our own unique way.”
According to a 2023 report published by Children’s Environmental Rights Initiative, only 2.4% of climate finance from key multilateral climate funds was found to support projects incorporating child-responsive activities. However, since then some funders have recently acknowledged this gap, and are actively working with partners to bridge child-focused climate finance.
Save the Children New Zealand Heather Campbell said 2026 is a pivotal moment for New Zealand to commit to investing in child-focused adaptation that acknowledges that children are on the frontlines of the climate crisis.
“Children across the Pacific, and the world, have been telling us for years that the climate emergency has reached into every aspect of their lives, making it harder to live, learn and thrive. The time is long overdue for global leaders, including leaders in Aotearoa New Zealand, to act on these calls and meaningfully invest in protecting their futures.
“Child-centred climate adaptation financing that takes into account the views of children and young people matters now more than ever, as children face compounding threats to their wellbeing, education and livelihoods due to the climate crisis.”
About Save the Children NZ:
Save the Children works in 120 countries across the world. The organisation responds to emergencies and works with children and their communities to ensure they survive, learn and are protected.
Save the Children NZ currently supports international programmes in Fiji, Cambodia, Bangladesh, Laos, Nepal, Vanuatu, Solomon Islands and Papua New Guinea. Areas of work include child protection, education and literacy, disaster risk reduction and climate adaptation, and alleviating child poverty.