Public Solicitor commends PNG Legal team for landmark climate justice victory at International Court

The legal fraternity in Papua New Guinea has been commended for a job well done on the international stage.

Public Solicitor Leslie Mamu highlighted this following an advisory opinion issued on Wednesday by the International Court of Justice, which ruled in favor of a submission by smaller developing nations.

Mr. Mamu said the successful arguments by PNG’s legal team, which led the International Court of Justice to rule in its favor, was not only a win but also a demonstration of strength within the country’s legal fraternity.

It revealed the courage and capability of PNG’s legal system in raising critical national issues at the global level and expressed his satisfaction with the court’s findings.

“We have confidence in our capacity, and that is demonstrated by the leadership of the Attorney General in selecting our law officers,” he said.

“We had three law officers chosen to represent us, and this case shows we’ve come of age as a legal profession. We must believe in and expose our lawyers and that is exactly what happened.”

Justice Minister Pila Niningi, when announcing the landmark decision, emphasized that the country belongs to the people, and therefore, ownership must be taken.

“They worked night and day to put the submission together in a very short time,” he said.

“I am proud to have a team that can back us under any circumstances. We are not second to none. We are lawyers. We can speak the same legal language, we can challenge anyone, and we can stand together."