Right Livelihood 194d ago

Julian Aguon delivers an acceptance speech as a 2025 Right Livelihood Laureate, honouring the frontline Indigenous communities whose stories shaped the historic ICJ climate change advisory opinion. Drawing on testimonies gathered across Melanesia, from Vunidogoloa in Fiji to Yakel in Vanuatu and Veraibari in Papua New Guinea, he reflects on the lived reality of climate loss: disappearing coastlines, failed harvests, sacred places abandoned, and rights unravelled. “What these communities offered us was more than testimony; they offered us a way of seeing.” Julian explains how their accounts helped the International Court of Justice affirm, for the first time, that states can be held legally responsible for climate harm: failing to reduce emissions, prevent transboundary damage, or act according to science now triggers concrete duties — including reparation. This speech is a tribute to communities who face the climate crisis with generosity, reciprocity and radical love, and a call to recognise the dignity and rights they are owed. 🔗 Learn more about Julian Aguon: https://rightlivelihood.org/the-change-makers/find-a-laureate/julian-aguon/ 📅 Watch the full Award Presentation on our channel: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LiTEDQkuFeA