In a first Trust Legal, one of India’s prominent Environmental Law Firms, has partnered with Gujarat National Law University (GNLU), Gandhinagar and United Nations Environment Program to hold the first ever IUCN Academy of Law Conference in India since its inception in 2003. It is the 21st Annual Colloquium of the IUCN Academy of Environmental Law, organized and hosted by Gujarat National Law University (GNLU) under the able guidance and leadership of Prof. Prof. (Dr.) S. Shanthakumar, Director of GNLU, Gandhinagar, from 4th to 7th July 2024.
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International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) one of world’s largest and most diverse environmental networks comprising of both government and civil society organizations is recognised as a global authority on the status of the natural world and the measures which are needed to conserve and protect the same. IUCN also releases classification of endangered species, which is a widely revered collection of data for environmentalists around the world.
Recently, the Hon'ble Supreme Court of India passed a landmark judgment aimed at saving the Great Indian Bustard, a critically endangered bird species on the IUCN Red List, from extinction. The Apex Court sought to strike a balance between preserving biodiversity and fulfilling another Sustainable Development Goal to which India is committed. This goal includes ambitious targets for transitioning to non-fossil fuel resources, as outlined in India's Nationally Determined Contribution (NDC) up to 2030. The targets aim to increase India's installed renewable energy capacity to 450 GW, in alignment with the Kyoto Protocol and the Paris Agreement.
The theme of the Conference is ‘Mission LiFE: Ensuring Environmental Sustainability & Climate Justice through Community Action’. The colloquium brings together the expertise of various stakeholders including policy makers, practitioners, academicians and environmental experts from around 20 countries worldwide who have gathered for meaningful discussions and initiatives through collective actions.
The theme 'Mission Life' embodies India's mass movement, Mission Lifestyle, emphasizing the importance of both individual and collective actions in achieving environmental sustainability. This theme resonates deeply with India's cultural heritage, which has long embraced sustainable living practices with individual and community efforts being fundamental to the Indian culture.
The Plenary session on day one of the Colloquium saw the keynote address and opening remarks by Professor Christina Voigt, Chair, IUCN World Commission on Environmental Law; Associate Professor Tiina Paloniitty, Chair of the Governing Board, IUCN Academy of Environmental law; and renowned environmental lawyer Sudhir Mishra. The colloquium saw the participation of many national and international academicians and personalities of eminence in the field of Environmental Law from more than 20 countries.
Notably, the conference featured participation from Associate Professor Tiina Paloniitty, Chair of the Governing Board, IUCN Academy of Environmental law, Prof. Tseming Yang, Professor of Law, Santa Clara University, School of Law, USA, Dr Ivano Alogna, Research Leader in Environmental and Climate Change Law – British Institute of International and Comparative Law, London and many more learned environmentalists, lawyers and professors were part of the stellar panels throughout the conference. Extending over four days with myriad of topics of Environmental Law and sustainability being discussed by the national and international community, the colloquium was a big hit.
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Sudhir Mishra, Managing Partner of Trust Legal, and Prof. (Dr.) S. Shanthakumar, Director of GNLU, were pivotal in organizing the event. Both have been key advocates for prioritizing environmental health, and their leadership was crucial to the conference's success. Mishra shares, “The global participation at the conference is a testament to our commitment in dealing with the environmental concerns as a global community and would undoubtedly foster a sense of global citizenship in one and all alike.”
