International Symposium on Environmental Law

INTERNATIONAL COUNCIL OF ENVIRONMENTAL LAW NORMANDY CHAIR FOR PEACE IUCN WORLD COMMISSION ON ENVIRONMENTAL LAW

International Symposium on Environmental Law, 2-3 September 2021

The Normandie Chair for Peace, International Council of Environmental Law and World Commission on Environmental Law proposed to convene a symposium on environmental law on the eve of the IUCN World Conservation Congress to focus on the new studies of NCP, especially the rights of future generations and the rights of nature and the rights of indigenous peoples.

The International Union for Conservation of Nature organizers for the IUCN WCC had received many proposals to explore legal issues in the WCC Forum (the first 4 days of presentations), but the Congress organizers declined to include many legal themes.

To advance environmental legal concepts with all IUCN’s members, as well as engage the jurists who are involved in the WCEL and ICEL, ICEL agreed with NCP and WCEL to organize a symposium. France, as host of the WCC, and IUCN have postponed the WCC twice.

It is now scheduled for September 2021 in Marseille, France.

To learn more about the program and speakers, visit the dedicated website : peace-nature.sciencesconf.org

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Program :

Jeudi 2 septembre

WELCOMES 

Moderator: Reinhard KRAPP 

• François Xavier PRIOLLAUD, Région Normandie (by ZOOM video)
• Prof. Nicholas A. ROBINSON, Executive Governor, ICEL
• Message from Françoise Thibault, General Delegate of the Athena Alliance (SHS Research France CNRS Conference of Universities)
• Christine BRUNEL, Delegate CNRS Normandy
• Lamri ADOUI, President of the University of Caen Normandy, co-holder of the Normandy Chair for Peace
• Emilie GAILLARD, Generation coordinator of the Normandy Chair for Peace (CNRS/ Normandy Region/ MRSH/Normandy University)
• Grethel AGUILAR, Associate Director-General IUCN

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9:30 : Ecological Law – Ethical foundations

Moderator: Prof. Emilie Gaillard

• Prof. Klaus Bosselmann, Ecological Law & Governance Association (by ZOOM video)
• Katy Gwiazdon, Ethics Specialist Group, IUCN WCEL
• Patrick Blandin, IUCN Comité français l’UICN
• Prof. Jochen Sohnle, University of Nancy, Normandy Chair for Peace
• Prof. Christophe Bouriau, University of Nancy, Normandy Chair for Peace

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10:30 – Coffee/Tea break

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11:00 Artificial Intelligence: Providing Nature with Autonomy and Stewardship

Moderator: P. Victor Tafur

• Prof. David FREESTONE (Video talk): Deploying AI: The Sargasso Sea Commissions
• Prof. Andrea LEITER (Video talk): Establishing Agency for Nature: The Sovereign Nature Initiative
• Rutger van ZUIDAM (by Zomm viedo): Creating collaborative collectives for human intelligence – common ground for grass roots regenerative AI

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11:45 Legal Indicators – Measuring How we Observe Environmental Duties

• Umair SALEEM (via zoom video)

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12:15 Duties for the Rights of Future Generations: The Promise of the International Court of Justice Advisory Opinion

Moderator: Laura Duarte, Normandy Chair for Peace

• Nicole Ann PONCE, Solomon YEO, World Youth for Climate Justice (via ZOOM vidéo)
• Solomon, from the Solomon Islands, graduated with a Bachelor of Laws and a Bachelor of Arts (Politics)
• Rob Van RIET (via ZOOM vidéo)
• Alyn WARE
• Samira BEN ALI
• Olivia RICHARD ( Normandy Chair for Peace)

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12:45 – Luncheon Break

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14:00 (2:00 pm) From Transitional Justice to Environmental Peacebuilding: Broadening the Legal Framework

Moderator: Prof. Victor Tafur

• Laetitia Braconnier
• Luis Miguel Gutierrez,  University of Poitiers (CECOJI), Normandy Chair for Peace
• Eduardo FRULEUX, Normandy Chair for Peace
• Camillo NIÑO, Indegenous Arhuaco (by ZOOM video)
• Carl Bruch, Director, International Programs, Environmental Law Institute (Washington DC, USA)

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15:00 (3:00 pm) : Sanctuarisation of Forest

Moderator: Prof. Chikosa BANDA (Malawi)(via ZOOM video)

• Gert Peter BRUCH, President of Planète Amazone, Normandy Chair for Peace
• Apollinaire OUSSOU LIO, Environmental protector (Bénin – by zoom video)
• Mindahi BASTIDA, Otomi indigenous representant (Mexico)
• Laura PAQUEMAR, Normandy Chair for Peace

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16:00 (4:00 pm) Ensuring Food Sovereignty and Protecting Biodiversity through the UN Declaration on the Rights of Peasants

Moderator: Gustavo ALANIS, Mexican Center for Environmental Law

• Prof. Smita NARULA, Elisabeth Haub School of Law School at Pace University (via ZOOM video)
• Geneviève SAVIGNY, Confédération Paysanne and La Via Campesina (France) (via ZOOM video)
• Cassandra JURENCI & Nicholas Sioufas, Elisabeth Haub School of Law School at Pace University (via ZOOM video)

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16:45 (4:45 pm) – Tea/coffee break

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17:00 (5:00 pm) World Premier Performance –MI Music Caring for The Earth

Moderator:  Prof. Nicholas A. ROBINSON

• Prof. Koh Kheng Lian Professor Emeritus, NUS Law (Audio presentation)
• “Voice of the Sea” composed and conducted by Amos CHIYA, ICEL Representative for Music & Culture (video presentation)

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17:40 (5:40 pm): 50 years of Crafting Environmental Law: A Good Story

• H. E. Donald KANIARU, ICEL Representative in Nairobi and Prof. Nilufer ORAL (Turkey by ZOOM video), Director NUS Center for International Law & UN ILC Member and Prof. Victor Tafur
• Nilüfer Oral, Director of the Centre of International Law (CIL) at the National University of Singapore.

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18:30 (6:30 pm) – Adjourn for the day

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Friday, September 3th

9:00 Renewing the Foundations for Rights in Harmony With Nature / Right of Future Generations

Moderator: Prof. Victor TAFUR 

• Émilie GAILLARD, General coordinator Normandy Chair for Peace:  Towards a transgenerational approach of Human Rights and Duties
• Corinne LEPAGE, Attorney : TheUniversal Declaration of the Rights and Duties of Humankind
• Prof. James R. MAY: Actualizing the Rights of Nature(via ZOOM video)
• Stéphane PESSINA, Towards a legal mesologic approach of the Rights of Nature

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9:45 Good Stories: Harmonizing Law With Earth’s Natural Systems

Moderator: Prof. Montserrat Abad (Spain)

• Durwood ZAELKE : Uniting to Conserve the Stratospheric Ozone (IGSD) (via ZOOM video)
• Andrew David RAINE, UN Environment Programme – Montevideo Environmental Law Programme V: A Decade of Action on Environmental Rule of Law (via ZOOM video)
• Sasha KOOOSHIMA (FAO): One World/One Water

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10:30 Why Are States Timid to Acknowledge “Rights”?

• Prof. Yann AGUILA & Marie-Cecile DE BELLIS : What does a Martian See In Us ?

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11:00 – Coffee/tea break

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11:15 The Environmental Rule of Law

Moderator: Prof. Nicholas A. Robinson 

• Justice Antonio Herman BENJAMIN (Brazil), IUCN WCEL Chair
• Gustavo ALANIS, Mexican Center for Environmental Law
• Scott FULTON, Environmental Law Institute
• Prof. Nicholas BRYNER, Deputy Chair, IUCN World Commission on Environmental Law
• Ayman CHERKAOUI, Senior Manager for Strategic Development, Mohammed VI Foundation for Environmental Protection)

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13:00 (1:00 PM) Luncheon Break

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14:00 (2:00 pm) IUCN WCC – Towards Addressing Earth “Existential” Crises

Moderator: Nicholas A. ROBINSON

• Justice Michael WILSON: A Climate Crisis Commission & Motion 003
• Prof.  Elisa SCOTTI – Global Pandemic Network (GPN) – Zoonoses & COVID 19
• Christopher SUDOL (via ZOOM video), et Prof. David FORMAN:  Indigenous Rights: Renouncing the Doctrine of Discovery
• John NOTORIS, Carly HOPKINGS & Prof. Richard L. OTTINGER (by ZOOM video): The Energy Crisis & IUCN’s Programme

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14:45 (2:45 pm) Commemoration: In Memoriam, the Defenders of Nature

• Antonio BENJAMIN, Patricia MBOTE (by ZOOM video), Andy RAINE (via ZOOM video), Antonio OPOSA, Smita NARULA (by ZOOM video)(with a video component from the Elisabeth Haub Award Ceremony, at Pace University, New York), honoring ENVIRONMENTAL DEFENDERS, in memoriam

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15:15 (3:15 pm) “Toward Our Future”

Moderator: Justice Antonio Herman BENJAMIN (Brazil)

• Prof. Dr. Christina VOIGT, Chair candidate, IUCN WCEL

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15:45 (3:45 pm) Ceremony closes – “Peace with the Earth”

Moderator: Prof. Emilie GAILLARD, Normandy Chair for Peace

• Antonio OPOSA, Leader of the Normandy Chair for Peace (by ZOOM video)

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16:15 (4:15 PM) : Participants depart for Convention Center

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17:00 (5:00 pm) Opening ceremony of the IUCN WCC