The Tribunal works with international legal bodies, governments, and environmental organizations to push for the adoption of legal frameworks that protect future generations. This includes influencing climate policy, advocating for a Future Generations Declaration, and creating the legal structures needed to hold governments accountable for climate inaction. 

At FGT, we recognize that no single issue exists in isolation, and neither does our work. The need for comprehensive, unified action has never been more urgent in a world facing interconnected crises across climate, biodiversity, healthcare, and social justice. Our work bridges these silos, connecting legal, scientific, and advocacy efforts worldwide to create a holistic framework that protects both people and the planet. We position ourselves as a critical link in this global movement, integrating our efforts within the planetary boundaries framework and ensuring that the rights of future generations are not only established but actively protected.

Legal and Policy Influence:

Redefining the Onthology of Rights toward Justice: Too often, rights-based frameworks have been crafted behind closed doors, and have therefore shown eurocentric biases and limitations - our profoundly democratic assembly processes centering those most affected to create an adaptive universal framework with specific, localized articulations, will hold unprecedented legitimacy rooted in very diverse worldviews and ground realities.

Expanding Evidentiary Standards: The Tribunal’s acceptance of various testimony formats, including oral histories, ceremonial practices, and visual art, challenges traditional evidentiary norms, setting a standard that accommodates the unique realities of environmental harm.

Reducing Evidentiary Burdens: Traditional courts often require extensive causality proof in environmental cases, a requirement that disadvantages marginalized communities. By collecting comprehensive, multidimensional evidence, the Tribunal alleviates this burden, making it easier for affected communities to substantiate their claims.

Supporting Intergenerational Equity: By documenting loss and damage today, the Tribunal’s evidence serves as a foundation for future protections. The establishment of a global database and the publication of a Future Generations Declaration ensure that data informs ongoing policy-making, guiding legal systems to include intergenerational accountability.

The Tribunal is building a global database of testimonies, lived experiences, scientific data, and case studies. This evidence serves as a powerful tool for advocacy and legal action, helping to overcome the evidentiary burden often faced in climate litigation and policy discussions. 

While we’ve seen an increasing number of cases brought forth by youth, elders, law firms, NGOs, and other advocates, these efforts are largely restricted to domestic jurisdictions in the Global North. The Tribunal aims to address this imbalance, recognizing that youth worldwide deserve the legal power to hold those accountable for endangering their futures. For young people and Indigenous communities in the Global South, meaningful legal avenues remain limited, often allowing major perpetrators to escape accountability. 

Guiding Principles for Evidence Collection:

Epistemic Justice: Recognizes that communities disproportionately affected by environmental harm are primary knowledge holders. The Tribunal prioritizes these voices, facilitating equitable access to knowledge-sharing spaces and promoting their credibility and agency.

Epistemic Agency: Empowers communities to define and control their narratives by respecting their knowledge systems. Communities are encouraged to assert their collective power and determine the manner in which their evidence is gathered and documented.

Climate and Environmental Justice: Uses Carmen G. Gonzalez’s four dimensions of environmental justice—distributive, procedural, corrective, and social justice—as pillars for evidence collection, ensuring that the data reflects the injustices faced by BIPOC and Global South communities, as well as marginalized groups across geographies.

Youth Assemblies are regional gatherings that bring together children, youth, frontline activists, and Indigenous communities to discuss and co-create the legal protections essential for the well-being of present and future generations. These assemblies are integral to the Future Generations Tribunal’s advocacy, serving as forums where participants can contribute their insights and collectively shape proposals for legal frameworks that prioritize intergenerational equity and climate justice. By actively involving young leaders and impacted communities, Youth Assemblies ensure that the Tribunal’s policy recommendations and advocacy agendas reflect the lived realities of those on the frontlines of the climate crisis.

Practices and Protocols in Evidence Collection:

To operationalize these principles, the Tribunal adopts the following practices:

Cultural Contextualization of Evidence: All testimonies, especially those concerning traditional practices, are documented with respect for their cultural significance to preserve the full meaning of these experiences.

Community Ownership and Self-Determination: Communities maintain control over their testimonies, retaining ownership and the right to manage their narratives as they choose.

Transparency and Accountability: Before the regional Assemblies, participants are fully informed about the data collection, documentation, and dissemination process. This clarity upholds participants