Dr Oral spoke at Side Event 7: The Role of Global Networks Of Legal Experts And Practitioners To Assist In Designing And Implementing Legal Responses To Address The Triple Planetary Crisis.

Seven side events took place at the in-person (hybrid) segment of the First Global Meeting of National Focal Points to the Montevideo Programme V which were held in Nairobi from 7-9 June 2022.

Addressing multiple environmental crises through law requires extensive capacity and experience. Designing new laws and regulations demands of decision-makers not only in-depth scientific understanding but also a comprehensive overview over legal tools and applicable principles and rules. Equally, the effective implementation and compliance with laws addressing biodiversity loss, climate change and pollution in a comprehensive and holistic manner depend on the expertise and capacity of the executive and the judiciary. In many places, such capacity is constrained.

Networks of international legal experts, as well as networks among members of the judiciary have long been instrumental in enhancing legal capacity on the environmental rule of law globally. Many networks operate worldwide and react to immediate and systemic needs.

This side event aimed at familiarizing the audience with various networks of legal experts and practitioners, how they worked and what impact they had.

Of particular interest were specific examples of how networks of legal scholars helped design legal strategies and tools to address environmental challenges. Moreover, the “transition” of innovative environmental legal tool, from scholarly ideas to impactful legal principles applied in courts, was another phenomenon that the seminar addressed. Finally, legal networks of judges gave rise to so-called “cross-referencing” of judgments across various jurisdictions; a phenomenon widely observed in current climate litigation cases. Behind these transitions and “cross-fertilizations” laid the active involvement of networks that brings together experts and decision-makers in multiple formal and informal ways. This seminar aimed to shed light on the operation of networks and the tools and strategies they deploy to enhance capacity and impact. 

More about the event at the link: https://leap.unep.org/about/meetings/side-events-first-global-meeting-national-focal-points#nav-paragraph-5