Right Livelihood 194d ago

Solomon Yeo and Belyndar Rikimani, representatives of the Pacific Islands Students Fighting Climate Change (PISFCC), a 2025 Right Livelihood Laureates, deliver an acceptance speech highlighting their historic campaign that brought climate change before the International Court of Justice. Rooted in a legacy that began with Vanuatu’s first Prime Minister, Father Walter Hayde Liñi, whose plea echoed through the UN in 1983, “Let our children decide their future, but let us ensure that there will be a future," PISFCC share how a “smol group” of Pacific law students dared to take the world’s existential crisis to its highest court. They speak of communities across the Pacific facing rising seas, disasters and loss, and of their determination to leave behind a story of hope strong enough to carry future generations through any tide or cyclone. “For as long as our stories are carried forward, no flood will be strong enough to wash away the peoples of the Pacific.” In their speech, they honour the communities who shaped the ICJ’s recognition of intergenerational equity — and remind the world that the real work begins now. 🔗 Learn more about PISFCC: https://rightlivelihood.org/the-change-makers/find-a-laureate/pacific-islands-students-fighting-climate-change/ 📅 Watch the full Award Presentation on our channel: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LiTEDQkuFeA