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FIRST PREPARATORY MEETING OF THE IUCN ACADEMY OF ENVIRONMENTAL LAW
25 April 2003
 The first preparatory meeting for the establishment of the IUCN Academy of Environmental Law was successfully held at Pocantico Hills, New York on April 13-16, 2003, with participants coming from 21 countries representing all regions of the world. The meeting, which was chaired by Professor Nicholas Robinson, aimed to establish a collaboration of universities with significant environmental law programs throughout the world, with the purpose to expand and strengthen environmental legal education and research, to build capacity for government agencies, the judiciary and the public to address environmental problems and support sustainable development. The establishment of the IUCN Academy was based on the recommendation of IUCN's Commission on Environmental Law and was approved by the IUCN Council last December. The formal launch of the IUCN Academy as an autonomous entity, associated with the IUCN's Environmental Law Program, will take place in November 2003 in Shanghai, at the Academy's first annual Colloquium.
Full Press Release
List of Participants
Statements issued by IUCN DG and by IUCN Environmental Law Programme
Background
MARINE ISSUES GET A MAJOR BOOST
24 April 2003
 IUCN's Environmental Law Programme is delighted to join in welcoming Claudiane Chevalier, former legal stagiaire at the ELC, to the IUCN Centre for Mediterranean Cooperation in Málaga, Spain. Claudiane will work on marine issues under the IUCN Marine Programme at the Mediterranean and Global levels. Her tasks include the development and co-ordination of a network of highly qualified professionals in marine legal issues from all parts of the Mediterranean, and the creation of a new Mediterranean Marine Law Working Group in conjunction with key institutions (such as FAO). In this effort, Claudiane will liaise with appropriate CEL vice chairs, CEL members, ELC staff and IUCN members. This new legal position within IUCN was made possible through the funding of La Fondation d'Entreprise TotalFinaElf. ELC will provide ongoing technical support to Claudiane in the implementation of the project. The Málaga office is intended to co-ordinate IUCN's 145 Mediterranean members (including 16 State members) in 22 countries. This position of legal officer aims at strengthening the marine team to support the implementation of the Marine Programme. The Málaga Marine Team is lead by a French coordinator, François Simard and the team is rounded out by a Tunisian biologist, Imène Méliane.
Full story
Brainstorming Session on the World Energy Assessment (WEA) and Sustainable Energy Outreach
23 April 2003
 A Brainstorming Session hosted by the IUCN Commission on Environmental Law and its Climate and Energy Specialist Group was held in New York on 12 March 2003. The session aimed to discuss how best to get information on the World Energy Assessment (WEA) to developing country officials, civil society and the private sector for effective implementation of sustainable energy options. All the participants agreed that the WEA is an invaluable educational tool. It needs to be put to greater use, however, to assist developing countries and their officials, civil society and private sector organizations to utilize sustainable energy regimens for promoting their social, economic and environmental goals. They also discussed important lessons learned from prior sustainable energy outreach efforts. Several ideas on how to further disseminate the WEA were also discussed. For the full meeting report, click here. For more information on the CEL Climate and Energy Specialist Group, click here. To view the 40-page WEA Overview in the six official UN languages, click here.
New CEL Liaison Officer Appointed
15 April 2003
 Katerina Sarafidou, a young lawyer from Greece, was recently appointed as CEL Liaison Officer. Katerina will support, coordinate and develop activities and products of the Commission on Environmental Law (CEL), including the activities of the Chair, the CEL Steering Committee and, as appropriate, the CEL Specialist Groups. She will also be liaising with members of CEL will be the focal point for information on the Commission. Katerina obtained her law degree from the Aristoteleio University of Thessaloniki in Greece. Upon completion of her thesis this year, she will be granted a Master of Laws degree by the University of Bremen in Germany. Katerina speaks Greek, English, German, French, Italian and some Swedish. She was previously an intern with the ELC, conducting research on the legal aspects of the management of environment flows.
IUCN ELC PARTICIPATES IN THE ASCOBANS MEETING
11 April 2003
 Aware of the increasing threats to small cetaceans (whales, dolphins and porpoises), the Advisory Committee to the Agreement on Small Cetaceans of the Baltic and North Seas (ASCOBANS) held its 10th Meeting to address a wide range of issues relating to conservation and recovery of these species populations. Two IUCN ELC Legal Officers attended the meeting, representing the concerns of IUCN, which has played a major part in the creation of the Agreement and implementation of its objectives. ASCOBANS is a regional agreement that aims at alleviating the threat to harbour porpoises and other small cetaceans (such as the common dolphin and killer whale) in European and wider waters. Key actions taken in the meeting included a review of the status of implementation of the Baltic Recovery Plan ("Justarnia Plan") and a specific plan for the recovery of the harbour porpoise population, an update on the parties co-operation in a programme of Abundance Survey Planning (dubbed "SCANS II") and studies addressing the range of threats to cetaceans in the region (by-catch, shipping, noise pollution, high speed ferries, military activity). One interesting development is a proposal to expand the coverage area of ASCOBANS - a proposal that would include "high seas" (areas outside national jurisdiction) within the Agreement's scope.
Find ASCOBANS here.
DG MEETS ELC FELLOWS AND INTERNS
8 April 2003
 Achim Steiner, IUCN Director General has visited the ELC in Bonn following a meeting with the twenty five German members of IUCN organised by Professor Manfred Niekisch, Regional Councillor for West Europe. While visiting the ELC Achim spoke with all staff, research fellows and interns about IUCN and its current and future challenges and opportunities. ELC research fellows and interns took the opportunity to inform Achim about the nature of their work with the ELC, with research topics covering climate change (including the CDM), mining, protected areas, water, environmental protection and private property rights, and human rights and the environment. The ELC is currently hosting four InWEnt research fellows from Costa Rica, Peru, Tunisia and the Philippines (a fifth from Morocco having just completed his stay), two interns from Costa Rica and Hungary, and two secondees from IGES, Japan and a private law firm in New York.
ELC HOSTS THE PRECAUTIONARY PRINCIPLE PROJECT TEAM
4 April 2003
 IUCN ELC has hosted representatives of six environmental organisations, including three branches of IUCN, to plan and discuss a recently launched policy initiative: "The Precautionary Principle and Environmental Governance: Sustainable Development, Natural Resource Management, and Biodiversity Conservation". This joint initiative of IUCN ELC, Species Programme, and Regional Office for Southern Africa, with ResourceAfrica, TRAFFIC International, and Fauna & Flora International, seeks to promote international dialogue, research and development of "best practice" guidance around the precautionary principle in the conservation and management of natural resources and biodiversity. It aims to emphasise in particular the experiences and perspectives of developing countries. So what is the precautionary principle, and what does it mean in practical terms? Click here for more details or contact the Project Coordinator Rosie Cooney at rosie.cooney@fauna-flora.org.
FOUR InWEnt RESEARCH FELLOWS JOIN ELC
2 April 2003
 ELC is hosting four new Fellows sponsored by InWent, a non-profit organisation dedicated to international advanced training and human resource development headquartered in Cologne, Germany: The Fellows will work at the ELC for a period of three months of research writing and experience-based training. They are Edgar Fernandez from Costa Rica, Ronaldo Gutierrez from the Philippines, Sondes Jemail from Tunisia and Angela Ruiz from Peru. The Fellows will each be working on a broad range of important topics, including: mechanisms to conciliate environmental protection and private property rights, the clean development mechanism under the Kyoto protocol, and analysis of the law applicable to mining activities in protected areas Peru, Chile, the Philippines and Australia. InWent is seen as a natural fit with the ELP's objectives and it provides strong support to the ELP's efforts of promoting expertise and capacity building in the fields of environment and natural resources management.
Find InWEnt here.
News March 2003 >
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