Pascale Bird and Olivia Tattarletti were recently in Kigali, Rwanda to participate in the revitalisation of the network of environmental lawyers from the Economic Community of Central African States (ECCAS). Twenty attendees from the network (lawyers from public service, private practice, NGOs and academia) took part in a training workshop from 30 April to 2 May 2024, followed by the constitutive general assembly of the network on 3 May. The event was partially funded by the Climate Ambition Support Alliance’s Opportunity Fund.

LRI contributed to the training with the Regional Climate Action Transparency Hub for Central Africa (ReCATH), the African Group of Negotiators Experts Support (AGNES) and the UNFCCC Regional Collaboration Centre for West and Central Africa (RCC WAC Africa). Following introductory sessions on the three Rio Conventions (UNFCCC, UNCCD and CBD), participants delved into the main substantive areas relevant to the international climate change agenda, adaptation, mitigation, loss and damage, finance, transparency, voluntary cooperation, etc.. Some sessions also focused on the domestic implementation of legal instruments to give effect to these international agreements and the regimes they create, and to drive national action. With a room full of lawyers, the sessions were inevitably followed by lively discussions, with participants sharing experience and contributing on the substance.

The network has the blessings of its “godmother”, Dr. Jeanne d’Arc Mujawamariya, Minister of Environment of the Republic of Rwanda, and its “godfather”, Dr. Honoré Tabuna, Commissionner, Head of the Environment, Natural Resources and Rural Development department of the ECCAS Commission. The young network has a lot of work to get on with but, as the presence and participation of its “godparents” testify, a lot of goodwill has been invested and much is hoped for its future. LRI is grateful for the opportunity to contribute to such an initiative and looks forward to continuing to support the network.