Nikhil Aiyush Kumar 
[Photo Credit: All India Radio News]
The Pacific Islands Students Fighting Climate Change group has been awarded the 2025 Right Livelihood Award.
The group will share the award with Chamoru lawyer and writer Julian Aguon.
The Right Livelihood Award recognises “change-makers” whose work provides essential support and visibility for critical global issues.
PISFCC now stands among previous laureates, including Edward Snowden, Greta Thunberg, and Nobel Peace Prize winners such as Dr. Denis Mukwege.
At the centre of this global recognition is a campaign that began with 27 USP law students in a classroom in Vanuatu.
This movement successfully brought the climate crisis to the world’s highest court, the International Court of Justice.
In July, the ICJ delivered a groundbreaking Advisory Opinion, confirming that states have binding legal obligations to prevent climate harm, protect human rights, provide reparations, and safeguard present and future generations.
The PISFCC’s powerful advocacy ensured that the frontline realities of the Pacific where cyclones devastate economies and the rising seas displace families, shaping this pivotal ruling.
PISFCC Director, Vishal Prasad has dedicated the award to the region.
Prasad says it is a testament to not just the power of young people but of the communities and nations who are not standing quietly but are demonstrating real climate leadership
The announcement was made during the award ceremony in Stockholm, Sweden yesterday.
The Swedish Right Livelihood Award Foundation also honoured activists from Myanmar, the Sudanese Emergency Response Rooms network and Taiwan.
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