Accompanied by the Ambassador of Brazil, Ana Maria Morales, Justice Benjamin met high-level officials in Zambia on 6-8 July to increase cooperation with, and membership in, the World Commission on Environmental Law (WCEL), and to engage its judiciary with the Global Judicial Institute on the Environment (GJIE) initiative. He first visited the chambers of the Honorable Lady Justice Irene Chirwa Mambilima, Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of the Republic of Zambia who was accompanied by Justice M.S. Mwanamwambwa, Deputy Chief Justice.  The GJIE now looks forward to full engagement with the Honorable Lady Justice and the court.

A productive meeting with the Hon. Lloyd Mulenga Kaziya, Minister of Water Development, Sanitation, and Environmental Protection and the Permanent Secretary Dr. Bishop Chomba provided in-depth insight into the state of national environmental management and major environmental problems in the country. A further meeting with the Director of the Department of National Parks & Wildlife, Paul Zyambo, and the chief legal counsel Ms. Misozi Ngulube-Shipanuka, was also highly informative. During the various discussions, all officials highlighted the need for capacity-building in environmental law. Having no members in Zambia at the outset of the mission, WCEL looks forward to developing close contacts and active contributions in the country.