The University of Cebu cordially invites you to the 15th Annual Colloquium of the IUCN Academy of Environmental Law. This event will be held in Cebu City, Philippines, on May 29th-June 2nd, 2017.
The Philippines is known as one of 17 countries with the highest biodiversity, with an estimated 81 percent of the globally important land-based biodiversity areas in forest habitats. With its rich biodiversity, the Philippines faces a bigger challenge of protecting its natural resources on a daily basis. Despite this, there are emerging stories of legal reforms to protect biodiversity such as the landmark Oposa ruling. The Supreme Court has further set up environmental courts and issued the rules of procedure for environmental cases. Important environmental actions as well as judicial reforms are now in place.
Call for Abstracts
We are currently inviting abstract submissions for presentation at the 2017 Cebu Colloquium. Abstracts should be focused on the theme of the Colloquium: “Stories of the World We Want and the Law as its Pathway.”
More specifically, we are seeking abstracts providing environmental law “success stories” from around the world (laws, regulations, policies and incentives which resulted in positive environmental outcomes) in the following areas:
- Protecting Nature – the Land, Air and Sea
- Endangered Species Conservation
- Caring for our Oceans and its Biodiversity
- Adapting to Climate Change and Disasters
- Ensuring Sustainable Forests and Water
- Addressing Air and Water Pollution
- Preserving Natural and Cultural Heritage
- Rehabilitating Mangroves, Peat Lands and Wetlands
- Protecting River Biodiversity
- Enhancing Compliance and Law Enforcement
- Harnessing Renewable Energy Resources
- Sustainable Food and Livelihoods
- Making Smart and Livable Cities
Instructions for Abstracts
- Abstracts and papers must be written in English, complete with title, author’s name, and institutional affiliation.
- Abstracts should contain the aim of the paper, essential results and a brief conclusion, (400 words, maximum).
- Please include 3-5 keywords, separated by commas.
- Abstracts should not contain tables, graphs, drawings, etc.
- Abstract should be submitted to: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
- Abstracts will be reviewed on a rolling basis, as received, with a final deadline of Friday, March 10, 2017.
- The Academy will publish an edited and peer-reviewed collection of papers following the Colloquium.
Teaching Workshop, 29 May 2017
The IUCN Academy of Environmental Law’s Teaching and Capacity Building Committee will hold a half-day workshop focusing on good practices in the teaching and learning of environmental law. The Teaching Workshop provides the opportunity to discuss the latest developments in this field at the international level.
Call for Submissions and Workshop Participation
You are invited to submit your abstract proposal to contribute to the Teaching Workshop with your experiences and projects.
The scope of the workshop includes the following topics:
- Blended Learning
- Case Method
- Clinical Legal Education
- e-Learning
- Evaluation and assessment of student learning
- Experiences in joint education projects (national and international)
- Flipped Learning
- Innovative approaches to teach environmental sustainability and justice
- Inquiry based teaching
- Learning and Teaching Methodologies
- Mobile learning: Phones, Tablets...
- Moot Court Competitions
- Plagiarism
- Problem-Based Learning
- Scientific methodology or evidence based teaching
- Simulations
- Teaching Environmental Law from interdisciplinary perspectives
- Teaching research nexus
- Tutoring and Coaching
- University-Industry Collaboration
Submission details
If you are interested in presenting your experience, please submit your proposals not exceeding 500 words to Sophie Riley and Maria Marquès, at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. and This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. Proposals should have a title and include the name and contact details of the submitter.
Please submit your proposals by 28 February 2017.
Presenters are expected to attend the workshop in person.
Registration – Workshop attendance is open to all registered attendees of the IUCN Academy of Environmental Law Colloquium.
Research Workshop, 30 May 2017
The IUCN Academy of Environmental Law’s Research Committee will hold a workshop on “Protecting Nature in Conflicts & Building Peace: Success Stories in Conflicts & their Aftermaths.”
Notwithstanding the protection afforded by domestic, regional and international legal instruments, the environment is often the mute victim of armed conflicts, from civil wars, drug wars, terrorism and other forms of violence that rage across many parts of the world. From Sudan to Syria, violent conflict has often severely damaged the environment and the communities whose livelihoods depend on its natural resources. While environmental damage is most commonly incurred as collateral impacts, in some instances the environment is deliberately targeted, as when the United States defoliated Vietnamese forests with Agent Orange. In addition, natural resources have frequently been looted to fund conflicts, as in the case of “blood diamonds” and wildlife poaching. Wars themselves no doubt are sometimes also triggered by simmering conflicts over control of natural resources, such as oil or water, and climate change risks further social turmoil and displacement.
What role does, and should, the legal system including informal and non-state governance mechanisms play in protecting the environment in these situations and building peace? And in the aftermath of hostilities, how can environmental governance be quickly re-established and by whom? These questions involve both conceptual and operational issues in the law.
In exploring these themes, the workshop seeks to go beyond the “doom and gloom” narrative to investigate success stories. These may be local communities taking the initiative in lawless power vacuums to protect critical natural resources for their survival, or combatants themselves accepting restraints so as to minimize collateral environmental damage for their mutual benefit. And when hostilities cease, innovative peacebuilding initiatives may ensue, ranging from early intervention of international peace-keeping operations to longer-term solutions such as transboundary peace parks. Overall, the workshop aims to go beyond the well-versed doctrinal analyses of the international law of armed conflicts to understand what happens in practice and to draw attention to unconventional sources of governance success in the midst of seemingly lawless struggles.
In particular, the workshop will consider:
- Application of international humanitarian, criminal and environmental law to conflicts and their consequences.
- Development of integrated legal frameworks for social and environmental peace.
- Local communities, including Indigenous peoples, in environmental protection during conflicts and their aftermath.
- Multinational corporations and their resource development activities (eg, minerals) in conflicts and their resolution.
- Relevance of environmental changes, including water scarcity and climate change, to conflicts and their governance.
- Environmental-related initiatives in UN and other peacekeeping operations, such as land mines removal and other forms of environmental restoration.
- Transboundary “peace parks” in post-conflict governance
- Accountability (eg, government, corporate and individuals) for environmental damage.
From these and other issues, the workshop will identify and evaluate success stories from which to build some general conclusions about how environmental governance can work during and after hostilities.
Contacts: Professor Benjamin J. Richardson (University of Tasmania), This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. and Professor Nathalie Herve-Fournereau (Université de Rennes), This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..