YUMI – The Whole World: The Pacific fight for climate justice

The film follows three law students, Solomon, Vishal and Romabeth, who set out from the University of the South Pacific as part of a movement to take climate change to the International Court of Justice through the United Nations, to save their home islands from extinction. 

The evening will include a conversation with prominent climate researchers, campaigners, policymakers and leaders for the Pacific region, including Dr Anna Naupa, Director General of the Melanesian Spearhead Group Secretariat; Anne Pakoa, Founder and CEO of the Vanuatu Human Rights Coalition; and Professor Tim Flannery, Professor of Practice with RMIT's Pacific Initiative and Chief Councillor of the Australian Climate Council.  

The conversation will be hosted by Professor Charles Hunt, Director of the RMIT Pacific Initiative and Dr Pia Treichel, Vice Chancellor's Research Fellow in the School of Global Urban and Social Studies.

Program

• 7.00pm Panel Discussion 
• 8.00pm Screening of YUMI – The Whole World  

Presented by RMIT University's Pacific Initiative and the Pacific Human Rights Film Festival, supported by Environmental Films Australia. 

About RMIT's Pacific Initiative

In partnership with Pacific communities and leaders, RMIT is working towards a regenerative, just and secure future for the people and ecosystems of the Pacific region by building capabilities, strengthening resilience and driving transformation. Our leaders, Professor Tim Flannery FAA and Professor Charles Hunt, together with other RMIT educators and researchers, use co-designed and local place-based methods to engender social, environmental, cultural and economic security and cohesion, through social innovation, regional collaboration and inclusive governance. 
 
Find out more 

About the Pacific Human Rights Film Festival  

The Pacific Human Rights Film Festival (PHRFF) is an annual festival which helps raise awareness of human rights issues and creates safe spaces for discussions. It also provides a platform for Pacific film makers to showcase their work to audiences across the region and encourages the film sector to understand the importance of human rights issues. The 6th PHRFF is hosted by the Pacific Community (SPC) and the University of the South Pacific (USP), along with other partners. This year's theme is 'A Light in the Darkness', which is not only a reference to the nature of the cinematic experience itself but the sixth year of the festival's efforts to illuminate subjects that are misunderstood or tabu/taboo across the Pacific. 

About YUMI – The Whole World 

The world's most urgent issue is brought before the highest courts as three law students, Solomon Yeo, Vishal Prasad, and Romabeth Siri, tackle the climate crisis on the global stage. Entrusted with the hopes of their homelands, the students lead an unprecedented legal campaign for a historic climate resolution at the United Nations and the International Court of Justice (ICJ). As the South Pacific islands face the catastrophic threat of rising sea levels, the campaign aims to hold nations accountable for their environmental impact, urging the ICJ to define a state's legal obligations in addressing climate change. From Vanuatu to The Hague, the film follows the students as they navigate international diplomacy, working with ministers and ambassadors, confronting political hurdles and bureaucracy, and encountering the challenges that come with mobilising communities. Directed by Felix Golenko.