Center for Humans and Nature

Global Director Invited to Paraguay with Leaders in Environmental Law

Global Program, The Biosphere Ethics Initiative

April 7th, 2011

CHN Global Responsibilities Director Kathryn Kintzele recently returned from a meeting of the Steering Committee of the IUCN Commission on Environmental Law (CEL) in Asuncion, Paraguay. The Steering Committee is a group of leading lawyers in environmental law from around the world. They meet annually, hosted by CEL Chair Sheila Abed, founder and Executive Director of the Instituto de Derecho y Economía Ambiental (IDEA), to review the previous year’s activities, and plan future policy, programs and collaborations.

Dr. Kintzele was invited to give an update on the Biosphere Ethics Initiative, a soft law program that highlights existing ethical principles in action, and seeks to implement them in government and non-government policy. She spoke on the formal launch of the program at the Paris Museum national d’Histoire naturelle, the development of the soon-to-be-launched Local Ethic of the Indiana Dunes (that resulted from a September 2010 Indiana Dunes Relato),  the future Relatos with World of Letters in Amman, Jordan; the Center for Applied Sustainability in Rio de Janeiro; and the Aldo Leopold Foundation and the International Crane Foundation in Baraboo, Wisconsin. She was also pleased to announce the proposal for a 2012 Relato with the Fundación Ambiente y Recursos Naturales (FARN) in Buenos Aires. Within IUCN, the BEI continues to work with the IUCN Secretariat and Council, and has plans for further cross-commissional collaboration, particularly with the Commission on Education and Communication, and the Commission on Environmental, Economic and Social Policy (CEESP). CEESP Chair Aroha Mead was also present at the meeting to help strengthen the cross-disciplinary and cross-cultural aspects of CEL’s work.

CEL Deputy Chair Antonio Herman Benjamin, Justice of the Supreme Federal Tribunal of Brazil, announced the upcoming launch of a judicial portal of environmental cases, and also spoke on the increased recognition of the Non-Regression Principle, which states that no environmental laws should regress in their levels of protections, once afforded. CEL Chair of the Judiciary Specialist Group, Ricardo Lorenzetti, Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of Argentina, added that the portal will serve as a permanent contact between judges around the world, which is needed to help create common statements on environmental issues. They also discussed initiatives aimed at strengthening CEL’s work with all levels of law, from parliamentarians to prosecutors and auditors.

The meeting was a great success, and promoted transparency, diversity and democracy within its procedure and substance. Dr. Abed hosted participants from each of the other Commissions, sometimes through Skype, as well as from the IUCN Secretariat and the IUCN Academy on Environmental Law. CEL members within Paraguay also met with the group to share their work. CHN is honored for its continued collaboration with CEL, renowned for its leadership in environmental law and governance.

Following the meeting, a Conference on Judicial Protection of Diffuse Interests in Latin America was held, bringing in lawyers from around the country. The participants of the Steering Committee were then hosted at the Fortin Patria in the Pantanal, the world’s largest wetland, to learn of IDEA and CEL’s work in protecting one of the most pristine natural areas of our planet.