Bangkok 17th - 25th November
Final IUCN Programme 2005-2008 to be posted soon.
IUCN ELP Component Programme Plan 2005-2008 (Final Draft April 2004)
Appendix 1
Appendix 2
Appendix 3
Appendix 4
Appendix 5
IUCN CEL Mandate 2005-2008 - approved by the Congress on 24th November 2004.
OPEN SESSION - 16th NOVEMBER
The IUCN Commission on Environmental Law (CEL) hosted an open session for CEL Members on 16th November, the day before the official start of the Congress. This interactive session included a brief overview of the achievements of CEL and the IUCN Environmental Law Programme over the Intersessional Period 2001-2004, with a particular focus on the IUCN Academy of Environmental Law and CEL Specialist Groups. The session included more detailed consideration of specific issues from select Specialist Groups and a presentation from Thai CEL members, Thailand being the host country.
To download a copy of the programme click here
For instructions for speakers on CEL Open Day click here
'JUDICIARY DAY' - 16-17 November 2004
The IUCN Commission on Environmental Law (CEL) has created a Specialist Group on the Judiciary, Chaired by the Hon Justice Paul Stein AM. The Commission and Specialist Group, with the support of the IUCN Environmental Law Centre, held a major event to showcase the role of the judiciary in upholding the rule of law, focusing on the role of judges with respect to the environment, human rights and poverty. This event, which commenced with a reception on the afternoon of the 16th November and continued on the 17th, included debate on the links between environment, poverty and human rights, judicial capacity building, the ethics of judging, public interest litigation and whether the courts have a role in "judicial activism".
IUCN Environmental Law Programme (ELP) has recognized the great challenges and critical role of the judges in the development, enforcement and compliance with environmental law. It has worked with its many partners to organize and contribute to initiatives in order to support judicial capacity building at a national, regional and global level, to create a global network of judges and to promote the role of the judiciary in environmental law and sustainable development. This event highlighted the role of the judiciary in upholding the rule of law with respect to the environment, human rights and poverty.
The President and Director General of IUCN extended personal invitations to judges proposed by the Specialist Group to participate as speakers or panellists in 'Judiciary Day'. Justice Stein also extended a warm invitation to all interested judges and non-judges to attend and actively contribute to the outcomes of 'Judiciary Day'.
Proceedings from 'Judiciary Day' will be published in the IUCN ELP Policy and Law Series.
To view the draft programme for 'Judiciary Day' click here
For instructions for speakers on 'Judiciary Day' click here
WORLD CONSERVATION FORUM
The IUCN Environmental Law Centre prepared a brief flyer distributed on 16th November advising attendees of sessions that may be of particular interest to lawyers. To view the flyer click here.
BOOTH AT THE CONGRESS
There was small a booth dedicated to the IUCN Commission on Environmental Law (CEL) at the Congress venue. It was located opposite Meeting Room 4 in the Queen Sirikit National Convention Centre - the room set aside for the meetings on the 16th and 17th November. This booth provided the opportunity for CEL members to leave messages for one another regarding informal meetings.
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MOVING THE ETHICS RESOLUTIONS FORWARD
5 October 2005
The newly re-constituted CEL Ethics Specialist Group convened a consultation workshop in Chicago entitled “Implementing the Third IUCN World Conservation Congress Ethics Resolutions” from 27 to 30 August 2005. The workshop was Group’s first meeting in the 2005-2008 Intersessional period following the 3rd IUCN World Conservation Congress ( WCC 3) held in Bangkok last November. Outcomes of the meeting, which discussed possible ways of advancing WCC Resolutions 3.020 (Drafting a code of ethics for biodiversity conservation) and 3.022 (Endorsement of the Earth Charter) include preparing a draft Code of Ethics for Biodiversity, collaboration with the Commission on Education and Communication ( CEC) and the Earth Charter Initiative to develop the World Conservation Learning Network, and agreement to conduct a feasibility study for the establishment of an Ethics Resource Centre to serve the IUCN community and others.
For a copy of the full report, click here.
To see WCC 3 Resolution 3.020, click here.
To see WCC 3 Resolution 3.022, click here.
A Renewable Future lies in our Hands
22 November 2004
A distinguished panel of energy experts shared their views on how far we can and should go in revolutionizing the energy system, what criteria we should use to determine the future energy pathway, and the role that environmental and socio-economic decisions should play in these decisions. "Is the future renewable?" kicked off the Futures Dialogues for IUCN's 3rd World Conservation Congress currently being held in Bangkok, Thailand. The experts agreed that continuing reliance on fossil fuels was not an option; rather, there is a need to reach full potential in energy efficiency, promote development of renewable sources of energy and technology transfer. These goals can be met through decisive government action, ideally under the framework of a legally binding framework, carried out with government leadership and in close partnership with the private sector.
For a more comprehensive summary of discussions at the Futures Dialogue, click here.
For a copy of the Futures Dialogue flyer, click here.
To learn more about the IUCN Environmental Law Programme's work on climate change and energy, click here.
JUDGES AND THE RULE OF LAW - CREATING THE LINKS - ENVIRONMENT, HUMAN RIGHTS AND POVERTY
17 November 2004
The 3rd IUCN World Conservation Congress has got off to an flying start with IUCN Commission on Environmental Law Judiciary Day attracting judges and practitioners from across the globe, along with representatives of UNEP, UNDP, FAO, The World Bank Institute, The World Bank and leading NGOs working in the area. Judiciary Day analyzed and showcased the role of the judiciary in upholding the rule of law, focusing on the role of judges with respect to the links between environment, human rights and poverty - something that has not gained a lot of focused attention from the perspective of the role of the judiciary. Judiciary Day provided the space for this timely debate, while also addressing judicial capacity building, the ethics of judging, public interest litigation and whether the courts have a role in "judicial activism" - critical issues to all of us with an interest in the importance to society of the rule of law and its role in conservation. The wisdom of the deliberations will not be lost - rather it will be captured in a publication to follow the event in the IUCN Environmental Law Programme series.
For more information on IUCN and the Judiciary, including the Programme click here.
IUCN ENVIRONMENTAL LAW PROGRAMME CELEBRATES 2001-2004 SUCCESS!
16 November 2004
Members of the IUCN Commission on Environmental Law have gathered in Bangkok, Thailand on the eve of the 3rd IUCN World Conservation Congress to review the work of the IUCN Environmental Law Programme over the period 2001-2004, and to look ahead to the next Intersessional period, 2005-2008. The meeting heard from Prof. Nicholas Robinson and John Scanlon on the Programme's achievements from 2001-2004, and challenges for the future. An open discussion followed, before moving on to consider the critical role of Specialist Groups. Concurrent sessions helped showcase Specialist Groups and a special session was convened by Thai Commission members. Members of the Commission congratulated all concerned for what has been achieved, and expressed great enthusiasm and optimism for the coming four years. On the 15th November, the Commission held its last Steering Committee under the leadership of Prof. Robinson, who was warmly commended by his colleagues for his role as Commission Chair over the past eight years. The IUCN Membership will elect a new Chair for the Commission on 22nd November during the Members Business Assembly of the Congress.
IUCN ENVIRONMENTAL LAW PROGRAMME PUBLICATIONS 2001-2004
15 November 2004
Enhanced communications and the generation and sharing of knowledge and information on environmental law and policy has been a key feature of the IUCN Environmental Law Programme (ELP) during the Intersessional period 2001 - 2004. During this time, 19 substantive publications have been released in the IUCN ELP Environmental Policy and Law Papers series, which is an outstanding achievement. Many of these publications have been prepared in collaboration with IUCN members and other partners. All publications either have been, or soon will be, distributed in hard copy and through the IUCN ELP website. A CD has been released to coincide with the 3rd IUCN World Conservation Congress, November 2004, in an effort to ensure that the information and knowledge generated through the Programme and other IUCN offices on environmental law and policy over the past four years is shared as widely as possible, including to those people who do not have ready access to the Internet.
Full story
To obtain IUCN Environmental Law Publications click here.
IUCN ENVIRONMENTAL LAW PROGRAMME STRENGTHENING ENVIRONMENTAL LAW EDUCATION IN THE PHILIPPINES
15 November 2004
Thirty-five legal experts representing 18 major Philippine law schools and three law professors from various Thai universities gathered at Subic Bay, Philippines from 9 to 13 November 2004 to attend the "Environmental Law Training Course for University Professors in the Philippines." The de facto reunion of the Philippines' leading experts in environmental law was enhanced by the participation of IUCN Commission on Environmental Law and Environmental Law Centre legal experts from South Africa, Costa Rica, the Ukraine, the United States and Singapore. The five-day course included an excursion through the forest to enhance the participants' appreciation of nature. Participants adopted a resolution calling on the Supreme Court to make environmental law a mandatory subject in Philippine law schools. Follow-up sessions in the Philippines' various regions are being planned for the future and discussions are underway to finalize the course proceedings.
For more details, click here.
AN INTRODUCTION TO THE NEW AFRICAN CONVENTION RELEASED
12 November 2004
IUCN's Environmental Law Programme has released an "Introduction to the African Convention on the Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources" to coincide with the 3rd IUCN World Conservation Congress. The new African Convention, adopted by the Assembly of the African Union in July, 2003, is the result of a thorough revision of the original Convention, adopted in 1968. The new text succeeds in making the African Convention a most comprehensive and modern regional treaty on environment and natural resources conservation, and the first to deal with an array of sustainable development matters. The new Convention covers a wide spectrum of issues, including quantitative and qualitative management of natural resources such as soil and land, air and water, and biological resources. "We believe that, well implemented, the Convention will become an important instrument of 'good environmental governance' in Africa. IUCN will continue to assist and support this process" said Achim Steiner, IUCN Director General.
To obtain a copy of the publication click here.
To learn more about the governance related work of the IUCN Environmental Law Programme click here.
CONGRESS FORUM PROGRAMME NOW ON THE WEB
30 September 2004
The programme for the World Conservation Forum is now available online. You can search to find a topic, speaker or institution; click on the links at the right to sort by session type or theme; or click on a day to get an overview of that day. And you can then view the results in a list of sessions or as a colour-coded timetable. In addition to English, French and Spanish versions of the programme will be added in early October as well as the "Congress Navigator" feature. The "Navigator" allows delegates to search or browse the programme, put sessions into a "shopping basket" and then print their own customized programme. Delegates are encouraged to do this before they leave for Congress, but it will also be possible to do this at the Congress venue itself - at the Internet Café, Membership Hub and Registration areas. The Programmes for the IUCN Commission on Environmental Law sponsored days are also available on-line from the IUCN ELP website and the Congress website.
3rd IUCN World Conservation Congress
Congress Forum Programme
WORLD CONSERVATION CONGRESS PREPARATIONS WELL UNDERWAY!
19 May 2004
Preparations for the 3rd IUCN World Conservation Congress are well underway. Recent developments include: Online registration now being available! IUCN members and other invitees may register directly on the registration page. This is the first time that IUCN is offering this service through a carefully developed system that accommodates all the many and varied delegates of the Congress. IUCN Council has decided to put forward two very distinguished candidates for the position of IUCN President and an impressive list of names for the positions of Treasurer and Chairs of IUCN's Commissions. The response to the Call for Contributions to the Congress has surpassed all expectations, with an estimated 500 proposals for the World Conservation Forum having been received. IUCN Congress Secretariat is currently preparing responses to each proposal, with the benefit of an extensive review that was carried out in Bangkok last week.
To learn more about the Congress click here.
To find out more about candidates for election click here.
To register on line click here.
IUCN ELP SUBMITS COMPONENT PROGRAMME PLAN FOR 2005-2008
15 December 2003
Following an extensive process of consultation with IUCN Members active in environmental law, IUCN Commission on Environmental Law members, IUCN staff (in Headquarters, regional and country offices) and Commission Focal Points, the IUCN Environmental Law Programme (ELP) has submitted its Component Programme Plan for 2005-2008. This Plan describes the comparative advantages, niche, vision, goals, objectives and key result areas for the Programme. It also provides a brief situation analysis, a description of the Programme and outlines the priority treaties, thematic areas and cross cutting areas for the Programme over the next Intersessional Period. The Plan will now go through a process of internal review before being presented to the 3rd World Conservation Congress (WCC) in Bangkok in November 2004. The Co-Chairs of the ELP Programme Planning Team expressed their sincere thanks to everyone who contributed their time and expertise to the development of this joint plan.
CONNECTING IUCN's GLOBAL, REGIONAL AND COUNTRY STAFF LAWYERS
21 November 2003
IUCN staff lawyers in Asia, based in IUCN Country Offices in Bangladesh, Pakistan and Sri Lanka, gathered in Bangkok for a three-day intensive orientation on IUCN's approach to environmental law - the first such gathering of what will become an annual event. IUCN's Global Environmental Law Programme (ELP) provided funding to the Regional ELP, Asia, to organize the workshop under its 'Regionalization Programme' and a Legal Officer from IUCN's Environmental Law Centre, Bonn was one of the resource persons. Participants were provided with a Resource Book and CD, which included IUCN General Assembly/World Conservation Congress (WCC) resolutions, policy statements approved by Council, IUCN policy briefs, links to environmental law-related internet resources, and background notes on the whole range of issues in IUCN's Programme. Using these resources, publications from IUCN's Environmental Policy & Law Paper series and other IUCN programmes, the lawyers analyzed laws from their own countries. With the Asia Regional Conservation Forum coming up in December 2003, and the WCC to be held in Asia in 2004, the lawyers also spent time comparing their draft country programmes with the draft regional and global programmes.
For more on what IUCN is doing in Asia click here.
IUCN CEL STEERING COMMITTEE MEETS IN SHANGHAI
11 November 2003
IUCN's Commission on Environmental Law met in Shanghai from 2-4 November. The meeting was joined by a number of active CEL members who were in Shanghai for the launch of the IUCN Academy of Environmental Law. The Commission addressed a very full agenda, which included: a rich discussion on the draft IUCN ELP Component Plan 2005-2008, the development of an IUCN ELP Strategic Plan, reports from Regional Vice Chairs and Specialist Groups, feedback on the IUCN World Parks Congress, the development of a 'Charter' for IUCN CEL recognized Centres of Excellence, the recognition of new 'centres of excellence', and preparations for the next World Conservation Congress. The Steering Committee also unanimously resolved to put forward Professor Koh Kheng Lian to Council as its nominee for the next Chair of CEL, and to accept the invitation of Law for a Green Planet Institute to hold its first Steering Committee for 2004 in Brazil, just before the 8th International Conference on Environmental Law. A full report will be available in coming weeks.
For more information on IUCN CEL click here
IUCN COMMISSION CHAIRS: CALL FOR NOMINATIONS
8 October 2003
The time has come around again to invite nominations from the members of IUCN's Commissions for the Chair of their Commission. By way of explanation for those who are new to the process, the IUCN Council puts forward nominations to the IUCN World Conservation Congress for Commission Chairs after having considered the proposals made by the IUCN members and by the members of each Commission. While some Commissions have internal search processes underway, Commission members may also submit nominations directly to the Director General. It is important to note that even if the current Commission Chair is eligible to stand for a second term, a new nomination must be made. The Chair of the IUCN Commission Environmental Law is completing his second term and is not eligible to stand again. A letter from the IUCN Director General to all Commission members further explaining the process can be downloaded here in English, French and Spanish.
DRAFT IUCN ELP COMPONENT PROGRAMME PLAN RELEASED FOR COMMENT
5 September 2003
Every three to four years the IUCN Membership comes together at the IUCN World Conservation Congress to, amongst many other matters, approve the next IUCN Intersessional Programme. IUCN is currently developing a draft Programme to present to the membership, and each component programme is doing likewise. This process involves the active engagement of IUCN Members and Commissions. In late August a joint planning team, comprising IUCN Commission on Environmental Law (CEL) members, representatives of IUCN Members and staff of the IUCN Environmental Law Centre, met in Bonn to develop a draft IUCN Environmental Law Programme (ELP) Component Programme Plan to put out for consultation (full story). Component plans must comply with Guidelines that have been issued by IUCN, and comments should therefore take into account this framework. The ELP would welcome comments on the draft ELP Component Plan by Friday 17 October 2003. Please address your comments to Jil Self at jself@elc.iucn.org with the subject header 'ELP Plan Comments'. All comments will be considered by the ELP Planning Team at the CEL Steering Committee meeting to be held in Shanghai, China in the first week of November.
Draft ELP Plan, Appendix 1, Appendix 2, Appendix 3, Appendix 4, Appendix 5
IUCN draft Global Situation Analysis
IUCN draft Programme
IUCN Planning Guidelines
IUCN ELP PLANNING FOR BANGKOK 2004 UNDERWAY
22 August 2003
IUCN Environmental Law Programme (ELP) has embarked on a co-ordinated and collaborative planning process in the lead up to the next IUCN World Conservation Congress (Bangkok, November 2004). At the IUCN Commission on Environmental Law (CEL) Steering Committee meeting held in the Carpathian Mountains, Ukraine in May 2003 CEL and the Head of the IUCN ELP agreed to undertake a co-ordinated joint CEL/ELC planning process for the development of a single IUCN ELP Component Programme Plan for the next IUCN Intersessional period and to establish a Core IUCN ELP Programme Planning Team consisting of members of the Steering Committee and the IUCN Environmental Law Centre (ELC) for this purpose (see full story). The planning team met for the first time at the ELC Bonn, from 18-19 August, together with invited guests, Professor Alexandre Kiss and Professor Alfred Rest, during which it agreed a draft plan. This plan will soon be released for direct consultation with IUCN non governmental Members with 'environmental law' as their principal objective, IUCN Commission on Environmental Law Members, IUCN Commission Focal Points, and the IUCN Secretariat (Headquarters and Regional and Country Offices), before being further considered in November in Shanghai.
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Principal author: John Scanlon. Last updated: 5 October 2005 |
