Harj Narulla instructed in landmark advisory opinion proceedings on climate change before the African Court on Human and Peoples’ Rights

Harj Narulla has been instructed by the Global Strategic Litigation Council, Kituo Cha Sheria, Hakijamii, and the Institute for Human Rights and Development in Africa to prepare an amicus curiae submission in the landmark advisory opinion proceedings on climate change before the African Court on Human and Peoples’ Rights (“ACtHPR”): Request for Advisory Opinion No.001 of 2025: In the matter of a request by the Pan African Lawyers Union (PALU) for an Advisory Opinion on the obligations of States with respect to the climate change crisis.

Harj’s clients are civil society organisations based in Kenya, The Gambia and across West Africa. The African Court is based in Arusha, Tanzania. 

Harj has been instructed in all four advisory opinion proceedings on climate change, before the International Court of Justice, where he represented Solomon Islands, the Inter-American Court of Human Rights, where he represented Guatemalan and Mexican NGOs and the International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea, where he represented an intergovernmental organisation. 

The amicus curiae submission made by Harj’s clients in these proceedings focused on the issue of climate displacement under the African Charter on Human and Peoples’ Rights. Harj previously made oral submissions to the ICJ on this topic, which are accessible here. The ICJ included a finding on this issue, recognising that States have obligations under the principle of non-refoulement to protect people displaced across borders who face a threat to the right to life.