The United Nations General Assembly has passed a resolution to enforce the legal obligations on its member states to combat climate change, marking a diplomatic victory for Pacific islands in their fight against rising sea levels.

The initiative Vanuatu moved was supported by a coalition pact of Fiji, Aotearoa/New Zealand, Costa Rica and Portugal, acting on behalf of a core group of largely island states, was adopted on Thursday.

The resolution was passed by 141 countries, including Australia, with eight against - the USA, Israel, Russia, Belarus, Iran, Saudi Arabia, Yemen and Libera - with 28 abstaining.

"This resolution sends a powerful message to vulnerable communities everywhere that the UN will not look away from the legal and human consequences of the climate crisis," the Vanuatu Special Envoy for Climate Justice, Lee-Anne Sackett, said.

"This outcome matters enormously for the credibility of international law and the multilateral system."

The vote in New York endorses the advisory opinion of the International Court of Justice, issued in July of 2025, where its bench found that countries have an inescapable duty under international law to act "urgently and equitably" to protect the climate system.

The International Court of Justice also established that governments can be held legally liable should their failure to meet the UN commitments causes significant harm to the environment that also impact on developing nations and other foreign territories.

"The world's highest court has spoken - today, the General Assembly has answered," the UN Secretary-General, António Guterres, said.

"This is a powerful affirmation of international law, climate justice, science, and the responsibility of states to protect people from the escalating climate crisis."

The new resolution urges its member states to align their policies to ensure that global warming stays below 1.5 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels in line with the Paris climate agreement that is a legally binding international treaty.

It also demands "deep, rapid, and sustained" cuts to greenhouse gas emissions and an accelerated transition to clean energy.

For the first time, the text also enshrines the protection of climate-related human rights, which includes people's right to a healthy environment.

The resolution also called out for increased funding for adaptation and resilience amid the most vulnerable countries.

For Pacific nations such Tuvalu, Kiribati and the Marshall Islands that are almost literally sinking, the crisis is continually unfolding. The Indigenous communities face coastal flooding and saltwater intrusion that ruin aquifers and farmland, while accelerating erosion from extreme weather events that have destroyed homes and infrastructure.

Tuvalu's average elevation is barely two metres above sea level amid future projections that by 2100, the tiny Pacific state will be underwater at high tide.

Vanuatu climate change minister Ralph Regenvanu said the landmark resolution was "deeply significant".

"Today, the international community affirmed that climate change is not only a political and economic challenge, but a matter of law, justice and human rights," he said.

"For vulnerable countries like Vanuatu, this resolution is deeply significant because it confirms that no state is above its obligations to protect people, future generations and our planet.

"This is a victory for multilateralism, for the rule of law, and for communities on the frontlines of the climate crisis."

Vanuatu also paid tribute to its Pacific neighbours and the global youth movement whose advocacy led to the request for the ICJ's advisory opinion that sustained momentum throughout the multi-year process.

"The vision and determination of young people made this possible," Mr Regenvanu said.

"From classrooms in the Pacific to the Peace Palace in The Hague, this movement has shown what principled leadership and collective action can achieve."

Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade spokesperson said Australia was "pleased to have worked closely and constructively with Pacific countries throughout the negotiation process" to ensure the resolution was passed.

The resolution faced stubborn resistance from major industrial powers, forcing the Pacific proponents to leave out the far stricter proposals on international mechanisms for economic reparations.

It caught the ire of the US, which reportedly pressured Vanuatu in recent months to drop the resolution altogether after President Donald Trump had last year removed his country from the Paris climate agreement.

The American deputy UN ambassador, Tammy Bruce, claimed Vanuatu's initiative had contained statements that were "alarmist" and "hyperbolic".

"The resolution includes inappropriate political demands relating to fossil fuels and other climate topics," she said.

"Not only is (the ICJ) opinion a legally wrong conclusion, but such an expansive legal rule would impermissibly interfere with each state's sovereign rights to regulate and manage its own energy policy."