July 2017: WCEL Mission to Nairobi

Justice Antonio Benjamin (WCEL Chair) and Ragnhild Noer (Member of the Steering Committee) were in Nairobi, Kenya on 4-6 July for a number of meetings to further engagement with partners. Continuing his commitment to meeting with IUCN colleagues while on mission, Justice Antonio Benjamin first visited Director Luther Anukur and senior staff of the IUCN Regional Office for Eastern and Southern Africa (ESARO) based in Nairobi. The Regional Office works with five country offices to cover 24 countries in eastern and southern Africa. Discussion focused on identifying specific needs and opportunities for coordination in a region that is home to seven of the world’s biodiversity hotspots. It was agreed that one of the priorities for WCEL in the region should be Angola, considering its important biodiversity and the fact that the Commission has no presence in the country.

A visit to UN Environment focused on ongoing collaboration, including upcoming joint events, the status of common projections, the “International Advisory Council for Environmental Justice”, next steps to enhance capacity-building efforts across the field, and arrangements for operating the Global Judicial Institute for the Environment (GJIE). Separate meetings took place with UN Environment Executive Director Erik Solheim and Deputy Executive Director Ibrahim Thiaw who both praised the work of WCEL and expressed strong support for the GJIE and close work across organizations. Additional meetings were held with Elizabeth Maruma Mrema (Head, Law Division and Member of the WCEL Steering Committee), Arnold Kreilhuber (Head, International Environmental Law Unit), and officers of the division to consider promotion of African environmental law initiatives, arrangements for the upcoming 3^rd UN Environment Assembly under the theme “Pollution”, next steps for the GJIE including the 1^st meeting of its Interim Governing Committee General Assembly in March 2018 during the 8^th World Water Forum.

Justices Benjamin and Noer were also invited as guest speakers to the UN Environment series “Planet unplugged”. The event was hosted by Ibrahim Thiaw and moderated by Elizabeth Mrema to discuss the topic: “Do we have a right to a healthy environment”. This was the latest installment of the series designed as open, informal, and inspirational sessions on everything connected to the environment. The speakers drew a large number of ambassadors, diplomats, and UNEP staff, as well as law professors with students from three universities. Concluding the visit, Eric Solheim hosted a dinner with Ibrahim Thiaw, Elizabeth Maruma Mrema, Arnold Kreilhuber, and in the company of Ambassadors from Brazil and China.

Before departing Kenya, meetings took place at the Ministry of Environment and Natural Resources Kenya with senior staff and heads of legal departments to exchange information and encourage future work together.