European Economic
and Social Committee
Programme
Reforming climate governance in the light of recent international judicial decisions
9:30 – 9:45 | Introduction
- Stoyan TCHOUKANOV, President of the NAT Section and Permanent Group on COP
- Lutz RIBBE, former EESC member
9:45 – 11:15 | Reforming climate governance
- Hayley WALKER, Associate Professor of International Negotiation, IÉSEG School of Management - Civil Society Participation in Climate Summits: The Era of Mega COPs
- Joanna DEPLEDGE, Research Fellow, Writer, Cambridge University - Decision-making at the UNFCCC under scrutiny: progress and challenges 30 COPs later
Reaction panel:
- Sophie TALARICO, Coordinator of BINGO (Business and Industry NGOs at COPs)
- Bert DE WEL, Coordinator of TUNGO (Trade Union constituency at COPs)
Pirah SIYAL, Adaptation WG Member, YOUNGO (Youth constituency at COPs)
- Debate with EESC members
11:15 – 11:30 | Coffee break
11:30 – 12:50 | The impact of recent international judicial decisions
- Margaretha WEWERINKE-SINGH, Associate Professor of Sustainability Law at the University of Amsterdam - The impact of climate litigation cases on UNFCCC governance, with reference to the ICJ's advisory opinion of July 23, 2025
Elisa MORGERA, UN Special Rapporteur on Climate Change and Human Rights - The relationship between Human Rights and climate change and the impact of recent Human Rights rulings on climate governance
Reaction panel:
Denis KENNEDY, LEX Expert Group (WPIEI Climate Change, Council of the EU)
Lien VANDAMME, Center for International Environmental Law (CIEL)
Luna Rayén PINTO BAKER, YOUNGO (Youth constituency at COPs)
- Debate with EESC members
12:50 – 13:00 | Conclusions
- Corina MURAFA BENGA, EESC member, rapporteur