31 July 25: Dr Nilufer Oral was Invited by World Bank Legal to be One of the Panellist at the Webinar on “ICJ Advisory Opinion on Climate Change: Overview and Implications for Development” 

Synopsis: On 23 July 2025, the International Court of Justice (ICJ) issued its Advisory Opinion on Climate Change, addressing key legal questions related to the international legal obligations of States to mitigate and adapt to climate impacts. This Advisory Opinion is expected to set a global legal benchmark for climate action and potentially influence international development, including States’ duty to align domestic policies with clarified international obligations and their ability to mobilize financial resources for climate-resilient development. This event will reflect on the ICJ’s conclusions and its broader implications for international development. Alongside the ICJ Advisory Opinion, the panel will also reflect on recent advisory opinions from the International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea and the Inter-American Court of Human Rights, which clarify States’ obligations with respect to climate change under law of the sea and international human rights law.

Opening Remarks: Victor Mosoti, Chief Counsel of the Environmental and International Law (LEGEN) Unit of the World Bank. 

Panelists:

Nilufer Oral, Director of the Centre of International Law at the National University of Singapore and Co-Chair of the International Law Commission Study Group on Sea Level Rise in relation to International Law. 

David Freestone, Executive Secretary of the Sargasso Sea Commission and Co-Rapporteur of the International Law Association Committee on Sea Level Rise and International Law 

Duygu Cicek, Counsel in the Environmental and International Law (LEGEN) Unit of the World Bank and Co-Chair of the GFLJD Human Rights and Sustainable Development Working Group. 

Moderator: Remi Moncel, Senior Counsel in the Environmental and International Law (LEGEN) Unit of the World Bank and Co-Chair of the GFLJD Environmental Justice Working Group.