UN General Assembly Backs ICJ Climate Opinion

On May 20, 2026, the United Nations General Assembly adopted Resolution A/80/L.65 responding to the International Court of Justice's 2025 advisory opinion on States' climate obligations. 

The advisory opinion, discussed in our July 2025 Jones Day Alert, concluded that States have legal obligations to regulate greenhouse gas emissions and may be held internationally responsible for climate inaction, including failures to effectively regulate emissions. The Court further stated that injured States may seek cessation of wrongful conduct or omissions, assurances of non-repetition, and/or reparations.

The UN resolution characterizes the advisory opinion as an important contribution to the clarification of existing international law. It calls upon States to comply with their obligations to protect the climate system and requests the Secretary-General to report to the General Assembly at its eighty-second session on ways to advance compliance with those obligations. The resolution further states that the report is to be prepared without prejudice to the legal positions of States and without implying any determination of responsibility.

The UN resolution itself, however, is not binding under international law and does not create new legal obligations for private parties. Instead, the resolution addresses its conclusions to the States.