15 June 2026

A Request by the Pan African Lawyers Union for an Advisory Opinion on the Obligations of States with Respect to the Climate Crisis

Case: A Request by the Pan African Lawyers Union for an Advisory Opinion on the Obligations of States with Respect to the Climate Crisis (Application No. 001/2025)

Court: African Court on Human and Peoples’ Rights, Arusha, Tanzania

Status: Ongoing

Last updated: 15 June 2026

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Case overview: The Pan African Lawyers Union (“PALU”), in collaboration with the African Climate Platform, the Environmental Lawyers Collective for Africa, Natural Justice, and Resilient40, has submitted a formal Request for an Advisory Opinion to the African Court on Human and Peoples’ Rights (“the African Court”).

Through the Request, the organisations seek authoritative clarification of the human rights obligations of African States, both positive and protective, under the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights (“African Charter”) in the context of the accelerating climate crisis.

The Request focuses on the rights to life, health, development, and the right to a generally satisfactory environment conducive to development under the African Charter.

The African Court is asked to clarify whether States’ obligations include taking measures to prevent foreseeable harm, regulating the conduct of third parties (particularly multinational corporations), implementing meaningful adaptation and mitigation strategies, and providing access to climate-related information. Given the disproportionate impact of the climate crisis on certain groups, the Court is further asked to outline States’ duties to protect the rights of environmental human rights defenders, women, children, indigenous people, persons with disabilities, and elderly persons.

Media Monitoring Africa (“MMA”), represented by Power Law Africa, has filed submissions as an amicus curiae in the advisory proceedings on the impact of climate disinformation on the rights of children.

The submissions are largely informed by insights received from children themselves. Following an interactive workshop with the Webranger’s Article 12 Group, MMA highlights the following in its submission:

States bear positive obligations toward children as unique rights holders, given their evolving capacities and unique vulnerabilities, to protect them from the impacts of climate change;
States bear positive obligations to empower children to be active and informed decision-makers on climate change related issues which affect them; and
To fulfil these obligations, States must provide both school-going and non-school-going children with meaningful digital literacy and Media and Information Literacy (“MIL”) education, given that digital platforms are a primary source of information for the majority of young people across Africa.

Reference is also made to several international law frameworks on children’s rights and the environment, the adverse effects of climate disinformation, and the application of MIL and digital literacy.

The submissions were prepared on the premise that children are not passive objects of State protection, but rather active rights holders whose voices, interests, and capacities must be central to any meaningful response to the climate crisis.

Submissions: