Quang Ninh (VNA) – A legal and technical writeshop washeld by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Vanuatuan Government in Ha Longcity, the northern province of Quang Ninh, on March 16 - 17 to look into theproceedings of the International Court of Justice (ICJ)’s advisory opinion onclimate change.

The event, gathering ASEAN and other Asian member states of the Climate Vulnerable Forum, aimed to provide an overview of the proceedings of the ICJ’s advisoryopinion on climate change on the basis of the UN General Assembly’s Resolution 77/276,adopted on March 29, 2023, which requested the ICJ provide an advisory opinionon the obligations of states in respect of climate change.

Vietnam and Vanuatu were among the 18 states of the core grouppromoting this resolution. According to the ICJ’s regulations, March 22, 2024is the deadline for UN member states to make submissions before the ICJ issuesits opinion in 2025.

Opening the event, Permanent Deputy Minister of Foreign AffairsNguyen Minh Vu said that with a long coastline, Vietnam is particularly vulnerableto climate change. Therefore, it attaches great importance to cooperation withother countries and international organisations in common efforts againstenvironmental and climate change challenges.

The UN General Assembly’s resolution recognises climate change’sdifferent impacts on countries, so the burden of and responsibility for making responsemust be equally and equitably shared. The engagement in the proceedings of theICJ’s advisory opinion is a great chance for developing countries to joinglobal efforts in climate change response, promote the rights of vulnerablecountries, and shape international environmental law, he noted.

Attorney General of Vanuatu ArnoldKiel Loughman noted climate change challenges like sea level rise, extremeweather conditions, marine pollution, and biodiversity degradation are threateningthe life, culture, and even existence of many nations. Taking effective responsemeasures is a moral responsibility of the international community.

Ambassador Odo Tevi, Permanent Representative of Vanuatu to theUN, said the workshop was important as it provided a venue for Asian countries todiscuss their submissions to the ICJ. It will be good if all countries canimprove their capacity, and countries’ opinions to be submitted to the ICJshould be listened to.

So far, about 80 countries have made submissions to officially engage in theproceedings of the ICJ’s advisory opinion, turning this into one of the largestcases the ICJ has ever handled and also reflecting the importance of the court’sopinion to climate change response.

AmbassadorDang Hoang Giang, Permanent Representative of Vietnam to the UN, said theactive promotion and participation in the proceedings of the ICJ’s advisoryopinion demonstrate Vietnam as a responsible member of the internationalcommunity. The proceedings also show the international community’s respect for thecountry’s role and contributions to climate change response, including itsstrong commitments made at international forums.

At the workshop, participants discussed key legal aspects of the proceedings,contributions that Asian-Pacific countries can make, and technical support forcountries to effectively engage in the proceedings.

To help countries make submissions to engage in the proceedings,some writeshops have also been held in different regions around the world./.