Nairobi, 28 July 2026 – Countries around the world are increasingly turning Just Transition pledges into laws, policies, institutions, and court decisions. This is the key finding of a report published today by the UN Environment Programme (UNEP), released ahead of the first anniversary of the International Court of Justice advisory opinion on the Obligations of States in respect of climate change.
The report, No Transition Without Justice: Strengthening Environmental Rule of Law for People and Planet, concludes that just transition should be approached through an environmental rule-of-law lens. It frames Just Transition as the fair, inclusive and rights-based transformation towards sustainable and resilient economies and societies that respects environmental rule of law. It spans diverse stakeholders (e.g., workers, Indigenous Peoples), sectors (e.g., energy, mining, construction, and agriculture), and timeframes, in order to rectify past harms and address intergenerational justice.
The question of how countries can cut emissions without leaving people and economies behind remains key to climate negotiations, including the recent Bonn Climate Meeting (SB-64).
“The design and implementation of transition processes will determine whether there is a transition at all,” said Patricia Kameri-Mbote, Director of UNEP’s Law Division. “Just transition is a test of governance, legitimacy, and the rule of law. Fair, inclusive, and rights-based transitions are what make environmental action durable.”
As of 2024, 67 Parties to the Paris Agreement had explicitly referenced just transition in their climate action plans (also known as Nationally Determined Contributions). The report maintains that making just transition work in practice is context-specific, while identifying pathways through which environmental rule of law can advance just transition. This includes laws and institutions, civic engagement, justice, and finance.
These pathways are illustrated through examples from Australia, Brazil, Canada, Chile, China, Colombia, Costa Rica, the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS), multiple European Union countries, India, Indonesia, Mexico, Morocco, Peru, South Africa, Tuvalu, and the United Kingdom. In Slovenia, for example, transition planning includes measures to prevent energy and mobility poverty, and local implementation through municipalities. In South Korea, Seoul applies just transition principles to its urban energy system by involving citizens, civic groups, industry, and officials in shaping city-level efficiency and emissions plans. (See case studies from the report here)
UNEP will continue to support Member States in developing and implementing just transition policies and plans, in line with the most recently adopted decisions at the UN Climate Change Conference in Belém (COP30).
NOTES TO EDITORS
About the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP)
The UN Environment Programme is the leading global voice on the environment. It provides leadership and encourages partnership in caring for the environment by inspiring, informing, and enabling nations and peoples to improve their quality of life without compromising that of future generations.
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