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In Memoriam: Dr Emily Webster, Cambridge University
It is with a heavy heart that we inform the Academy community of the death of Dr. Emily Webster. Most recently, Emily was employed at Cambridge University as an Assistant Professor in Environmental Law. She was also an Official Fellow of Queens’ College and Director of Studies in the Department of Land Economy. Previously, Emily completed her Masters in Transnational Law and PhD in Law at King’s College London. Her PhD was focused on the response of law to climate change. Alongside her PhD studies, Emily was a highly valued member of the teaching teams for tort and environmental law. Emily was an active and committed member of the environmental law academy, serving as a member of the Hughes Hall Centre for Climate Engagement, a Research Fellow for the Earth System Governance research project, and as a member of the IUCN World Commission on Environmental Law. Emily’s exceptional research and teaching contributions will serve as a lasting testament to her unwavering dedication to furthering our understanding of the law and its role in fostering a sustainable planet.
Within the IUCN Academy of Environmental Law, Emily was a regular attendee of Academy Colloquia, and will be remembered as a genuine and warm colleague who was always willing to exchange ideas and welcome new scholars. Colleagues able to spend time with her at the most recent Colloquium in Joensuu will recall her distinguished presentation on private law structures to address the planetary crisis, and shared dialogue over her planned future research.
Memorials are being collected for her family by her colleagues and friends at King’s College London. Please email them to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
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Multi-country evaluation on the implementation of the Convention on Biological Diversity
The Academy is pleased to announce the release of a multi-country evaluation on the implementation of the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD). Paul Martin, co-chair of the Academy’s Research Committee, led a team of researchers (including members of the Academy) in collaboration with the IUCN World Commission on Environmental Law (WCEL) and the IUCN Environmental Law Centre (ELC) in Bonn, to complete this important study. The report is a comprehensive and objective evaluation of the CBD that is based upon a common disciplined method. The report makes a significant contribution to outlining the next stages of CBD implementation and is an excellent example of how collaboration across the IUCN network can improve international environmental governance and species protection.
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Training of Environmental Law Professors in the Philippines
By: Rose-Liza Eisma-Osorio
The IUCN Academy of Environmental Law, in partnership with the Philippines Legal Education Board, Asian Development Bank and the United Nations Environment Programme’s Asia and the Pacific Office, successfully delivered the Environmental Law Teachers Online Training Program from September to December 2021. The fully online training programme was held over a period of 12 weeks consisting of sessions focusing on enhancing the pedagogy in teaching environmental law in the Philippines as part of the legal education reform initiatives in the country. The training course covered a range of topics focusing on teaching skills development. These include the benefits and challenges of teaching environmental law online, syllabus development, best practices in teaching environmental law, and setting up of environmental law clinics . Several sessions were also devoted to cover substantive topics such as the role of courts in environmental protection, climate change law, and environmental law in Asia. The training course closed with a session on success stories of environmental cases filed and won by distinguished advocates. A total of 81 law professors from 61 law schools completed the training course. With this successful partnership, future training activities are currently planned to further environmental legal education in the country.
