Cynthia Houniuhi
Climate action & human rights
About
Cynthia is President of Pacific Islands StudentsFighting Climate Change (PISFCC). While studying at the University of the South Pacific, Cynthia and 26 of her classmates called on the governments of Vanuatu, Fiji, Tonga and Solomon Islands to ask the International Court of Justice (ICJ) to issue an advisory opinion on the obligations of states regarding climate change, including from a human rights perspective. This request achieved a historic unanimous agreement from the UN General Assembly, the first advisory opinion request of its kind to be passed.
Work
Her organization is now made up of 100 members, and its outreach goes far beyond the Pacific, as many Small Island Developing States around the world are threatened by rising sea levels due to global warming.