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United Nations
Human Rights Council
The Marshall Islands government and the Marshallese Educational Initiative are working together and in parallel at the UN Human Rights Council to reframe the nuclear legacy as a contemporary human rights issue and push for justice through a new transitional justice framework.
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The core of our current work is based on a pivotal report by the UN's Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR). Published in September 2024, this report details how the nuclear legacy violates the Marshallese people's rights to health, a clean environment, housing, equality, and other fundamental rights. In 2024, the Human Rights Council adopted a new resolution in October to continue providing technical assistance to the Marshall Islands, mandating further work on transitional justice measures. A new OHCHR report will be presented to the Human Rights Council in October 2026.
Government of the Republic of the Marshall Islands
Primary Action: Leading diplomatic and legal initiatives at the state level through RMI Missions in Geneva and New York.
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Key Strategies: Secured and now acts upon the Human Rights Council's 2024 mandate for continued technical assistance and reports; elected to a seat on the Human Rights Council for 2025-2027, pledging to advance nuclear justice; co-sponsored the original 2022 Pacific Islands-led resolution that initiated the UN's reporting process; and formally advocates for U.S. ratification of key nuclear treaties like the TPNW, based on OHCHR recommendations.
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Marshallese Educational Initiative
Primary Action: Leading civil society advocacy, education, and direct community representation.
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Key Strategies: co-hosts major advocacy events like Nuclear Victims Remembrance Day in New York with the Marshall Islands' mission; serves as a civil society panelist in Human Rights Council discussions, provides ground-level perspectives; educates the diaspora and global public on the nuclear legacy and human rights, amplifies issues and provides a platform for nuclear frontline community testimonies, ensuring victims' voices are heard internationally; and hosts community consultations vital for the upcoming OHCHR report.
Goal: Transitional Justice
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The Marshall Islands and MEI support the application of a transitional justice framework recommended by the OHCHR, which includes truth-seeking, justice, reparations, and guarantees of non-recurrence. Our work on this matter at the Human Rights Council aims to create sustained international pressure for the United States to fully address the ongoing harms and provide a formal apology.