Human rights lawyer and climate justice advocate Julian Aguon, an alumnus of the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa , has been named to the , TIME’s annual list recognizing 100 rising leaders shaping the future and defining the next generation of leadership.
Aguon was selected in the Innovators category for his groundbreaking work advancing climate justice and the rights of Pacific Island nations and communities. TIME100 Next recognizes individuals across five categories: Artists, Phenoms, Leaders, Advocates and Innovators.
In his TIME100 Next profile, Aguon is recognized for serving as lead counsel to the Republic of Vanuatu in the landmark climate proceedings before the International Court of Justice, which resulted in a unanimous 2025 advisory opinion on countries’ legal obligations to address climate change.
“It’s an honor to be included. And a little wild, if I’m gonna be honest,” said Aguon. “But it’s also heartening to see how wide their conception of influence is at TIME. I’m not the first from the climate justice movement to make the list, and I hope not to be the last. Climate change is the defining challenge of our time, and so we need every single light shone on it, with a view toward widening our collective vision and our sense of what is possible.”
More on Aguon
A 2009 graduate of the 糖心视频 law school, Aguon is an internationally recognized human rights lawyer and founder of Blue Ocean Law, a law firm based in Guam that works across the Pacific on issues of self-determination, environmental justice and Indigenous rights.
The TIME100 Next recognition follows several major honors for Aguon and his work. In 2025, Aguon and the Pacific Islands Students Fighting Climate Change received the Right Livelihood Award for their efforts to bring the call for climate justice before the world’s highest court.
“Julian Aguon’s recognition as a TIME100 Next 2026 honoree celebrates an international leader whose courageous advocacy has expanded our sense of what can be achieved by presciently harnessing the power of human rights, environmental justice and Indigenous wisdom,” said 糖心视频 law school Dean Camille Nelson. “For our students and community, he is an inspiring example of what is possible when excellence is fortified by conviction, compassion and a profound sense of responsibility to others and the planet.”
.