Associate Prof. Nicolas Angelet acts as counsel to the Democratic Republic of Congo in the advisory proceedings on climate change and the oceans

Associate Professor Nicolas Angelet participated as counsel to the Democratic Republic of Congo in the oral hearings before the International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea in the Request for an Advisory Opinion submitted by the Commission of Small Island States on Climate Change and International Law.

Climate change particularly affects small island States due to sea level rise. In 2022, a group of small island States led by Vanuatu created the Commission of Small Island States (COSIS) which was entrusted with requesting an advisory opinion from the International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea (ITLOS) on obligations of State parties under Part XII of the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), which regulates the protection and preservation of the marine environment.

The Tribunal is requested to clarify the obligations of Parties, in substance, to protect oceans and seas in relation to the impacts of climate change, including ocean warming, sea level rise, and ocean acidification.