12 September 2017

To prepare junior negotiators and other government officials from Asia and the Pacific for the UNFCCC climate negotiations, LRI contributed to an ecbi regional training workshop in Sri Lanka from 6 to 7 September.

The workshop was organised by the Sri Lankan NGO Janathaksan and attended by 30 officials from, for example, Bangladesh, India, Lao, Sri Lanka, Vanuatu, Vietnam, and Tuvalu.

Through a mix of presentations and practical exercises participants were introduced to salient climate policy issues and encouraged to actively engage in the negotiations.

While the training workshop took place heavy rainfalls battered Sri Lanka – and the conference venue in the coastal town Negombo. According to the Guardian newspaper, over 1200 people are feared to have died, and 40 million estimated to have been affected by flooding across the South Asian region during the last few weeks.

2 August 2017

Climate change has a complex cross-cutting impact on society and almost all areas of the law. To implement the new Paris climate agreement and their nationally determined contributions (NDCs), countries will have to review existing legal frameworks and develop new rules and regulations. This is a new area for law makers all over the world and there are no “one size fits all” solutions.

A tailored approach, reflecting the specific needs and circumstances of a jurisdiction is therefore needed. With the financial support of The Funding Network (TFN) and the Climate Development Knowledge Network (CDKN), LRI in collaboration with Pan African Climate Justice Alliance (PACJA) is therefore testing a “bottom-up” law review and development approach on climate change in one jurisdiction – Cameroon.

The project combines “action research” and awareness raising with peer learning and capacity building. If successful, the approach can be easily replicated in other jurisdictions. In the first stage, legislative priorities are defined through a programme of interviews, surveys, focus group discussions and community consultations.

8 June 2017

LRI lawyers with a delegate from the Congo

A team of altogether 8 LRI lawyers attended the 46th session of the climate convention’s permanent subsidiary bodies (for implementation and for scientific and technological advice) as well as the 3rd part of the first session of the Ad Hoc Working Group on the Paris Agreement in Bonn from 8 to 18 May. Two volunteers, Marie-Aure Perreaut and Deniz Kemal describe their experience during the first week of the meeting:

“This is our first time in Bonn. From the situation room to the negotiations, it’s exciting to see how the LRI works on the ground to assist LDCs with legal questions they may have. From our first meetings with delegates, we are starting to get a sense of the wide range of concerns developing countries face: regarding the development of the Paris Agreement Rulebook, interpretation of obligations under the PA and review of domestic climate change related laws. After what was, by all accounts, smooth opening plenaries, negotiations are underway and we’re very much looking forward to see how the rest of the week unfolds!”

In connection with the Bonn meeting, LRI received 29 queries. 11 from least developed countries (LDCs) and the LDC group, 13 from other developing nations and 5 from NGOs. We are grateful to all the volunteers and experts who support our work and the most climate vulnerable actors in the negotiations!

2 May 2017

 

29 March 2017

Mr Seth Osafo, a Ghanaian lawyer, has been appointed as a new Trustee of the LRI Board. Mr Osafo brings to the Board a deep knowledge of climate change law and policy and a wealth of experience of the international process, having worked at a number of UN agencies since the early 1990s including as senior legal adviser to the UNFCCC secretariat as well as UNEP. Mr Osafo was also the Head of the Legal Division of the Special Envoy of the United Nations Secretary General for the Future Status of Kosovo, HE. Martti Ahtisaari, former President of Finland. Since 2009 he has been a consultant to the Economic Commission for Africa (ECA), UNITAR and the African Development Bank providing legal advice to African negotiators at the UN climate Negotiations.

On his appointment Seth stated that “ I look forward to joining an organization whose work on the legal issues arising from the climate change negotiations has greatly benefitted African negotiators”.

Kate Cook, LRI Chair, commented that Seth will “bring invaluable insight into the perspectives of developing country negotiators at the climate change negotiations, and in particular those who are most vulnerable to the impacts of climate change, as we develop our capacity to provide assistance with national implementation of the Paris Agreement.”