NEW YORK — On September 24, 2026, the UN General Assembly adopted the UN Declaration on Sea Level Rise by consensus. The United Nations' principal organ passed the resolution to confront the existential dangers confronting coastal and island nations.

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres emphasized that the international community must not stand by as nations and cultures are lost to rising waters. The declaration underscores that cumulative, severe and irreversible risks necessitate enhanced international cooperation and urgent, coordinated action. In 2024, global sea levels increased by nearly six millimetres, the highest annual rise ever recorded. Without significant reductions in emissions, sea levels could rise by a metre before the century ends.

Approximately 770 million people reside within five metres of the high-tide line. Brazil’s President Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva addressed the assembly, highlighting a shift in the priorities of major economic powers. "Until recently, the response to climate change was firmly established at the center of the international agenda. This year, however, the topic disappeared from the debates of the G7 and G20, forums that bring together the largest carbon emitters. It is time to resume the offensive and inflict a defeat on denialism. Nature reminds us every day that we live on one planet. The glaciers in the Himalayas are melting. The super El Nino may cause torrential rains, droughts and forest fires in different parts of the globe," he said.

Nepal’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, Shisir Khanal, spoke about the devastating flooding that struck his country. Over 1,300 people died and more than 5,000 remained unaccounted for after the disaster in August 2026. "What we experienced in Nepal was Himalayan tsunami. But the larger looming threat is even more consequential. It is not only the devastation we mourn today; it is for greater danger that lies ahead if the world continues to look away. I call upon you to treat climate action not as a charity, but as a matter of justice," Khanal said.

Bangladesh Prime Minister Tarique Rahman outlined the economic and territorial challenges facing his nation. "By the end of this century, 12 to 18% of our coastal areas could be submerged by sea level rise, affecting the livelihoods of tens of millions. Climate change has caused loss and damage equivalent to 1% of our GDP. And our food security is at serious risk," Rahman said.

Cape Verde Prime Minister Francisco Carvalho described the immediate effects of climate change on his island nation. "Cabo Verde speaks with the same voice as other countries that are also living the climate crisis every day. For us, climate change is not a distant risk. It is an existential reality affecting our economies, our food and water security, our coastlines and ultimately our people’s future," Carvalho said.

Fiji President Naiqama Lalabalavu detailed the displacement already underway in the Pacific. "Nearly a third of the world’s tuna is caught in Pacific waters. And it’s moving east into the high seas. More than a quarter of our people live within a kilometer of the shore. Six of our communities have already moved. Two more are moving now. And half a degree is not a rounding error. For us, it is the difference between adaptation and relocation," Lalabalavu said.

Bahamas Prime Minister Philip Davis addressed the fragmentation of global political will. "We live in a fragmented world. Nations are turning inward. Promises are made loudly and kept quietly, if at all. Each country is tempted to say: It is not my storm, not my coastline, not my problem. The ocean does not recognize that thinking. It is one body of water. What warms in one hemisphere breaks upon another. The sea has never been fragmented. Only we are," Davis said.

Ghana President John Dramani Mahama responded to skepticism about climate science. "For those who have declared climate change a hoax perpetrated by geopolitical opponents, the warnings of recent times cannot have been clearer. Melting glaciers, flash flooding, droughts, record-breaking heatwaves, brush fires, hurricanes and other extreme weather phenomena are unmistakable signals of an overburdened planet. Climate change is the ultimate test of global equity," Mahama said.

The UN Declaration on Sea Level Rise calls for a high-level meeting before the conclusion of the General Assembly’s 84th session.

Timeline

The UN Declaration was established as a Declaration of the United Nations General Assembly on 25 November 1981. Global sea levels rose by almost six millimetres in 2024, the largest annual increase ever recorded. On 24 August 2026, catastrophic flooding in Nepal killed more than 1,300 people and left over 5,000 missing.On 24 September 2026, the UN General Assembly adopted the UN Declaration on Sea Level Rise by acclamation, stating that its cumulative, severe and irreversible risks demand stronger international cooperation and urgent, coordinated action. Also on 24 September 2026, the UN General Assembly approved the UN Declaration on Sea Level Rise by consensus. On that date, Bangladesh Prime Minister Tarique Rahman stated that 12 to 18% of coastal areas could be submerged by the end of the century, affecting livelihoods and causing loss and damage equivalent to 1% of GDP.

On 24 September 2026, Nepal Minister of Foreign Affairs Shisir Khanal described the flooding as a Himalayan tsunami and called for climate action as a matter of justice. On the same date, Bahamas Prime Minister Philip Davis stated that nations are turning inward and that the sea has never been fragmented, only people.

What's New

Additional reporting confirms that the UN General Assembly adopted the UN Declaration on Sea Level Rise by acclamation on 24 September 2026, citing the need for urgent, coordinated action due to cumulative, severe and irreversible risks. The declaration calls for a further high-level meeting before the end of the General Assembly’s 84th session.

The World Weather Attribution report linked the 2024 Himalayan slope collapse in Nepal to human-caused global warming, noting that thawed permafrost and glacial thinning increased the risk of catastrophic flooding. The same report connected the 2026 Himalayan slope collapse and Nepal flooding to human-induced climate change, identifying glacial thinning and permafrost thaw as contributing factors. Bangladesh’s prime minister stated that climate change has caused losses and damage equivalent to 1% of the country’s GDP, with 12–18% of coastal areas projected to be submerged by 2100.

Why It Matters

The declaration’s adoption represents a unified global response to accelerating sea level rise, which endangers the continuity of statehood for island and coastal nations. With 770 million people living within five metres of the high-tide line, the physical and demographic implications are significant. The declaration stresses that the risks are cumulative, severe and irreversible, requiring coordinated international efforts rather than isolated national measures.

Scientific evidence linking disasters like the Nepal flooding to human-caused climate change—through glacial thinning and permafrost thaw—adds urgency to the political response. Leaders from affected countries described the crisis as one of justice and survival, noting that economic losses and dense coastal infrastructure heighten vulnerability. The call for another high-level meeting before the end of the General Assembly’s 84th session signals an ongoing procedural commitment to addressing these threats.