Participants at the First Africa Colloquium on Environmental Rule of Law called on African countries to ensure access to information, public participation and justice in environmental matters at the regional level.
The meeting's concluding 'Nairobi Statement' also calls for integrating environmental law into the curricula of judicial and other training institutes and the regular and continuous exchange of information, knowledge and experiences through regional networks.
16 October 2015: Participants at the First Africa Colloquium on Environmental Rule of Law called on African countries to ensure access to information, public participation and justice in environmental matters at the regional level. The meeting’s concluding ‘Nairobi Statement’ also calls for integrating environmental law into the curricula of judicial and other training institutes and the regular and continuous exchange of information, knowledge and experiences through regional networks.
The Colloquium, organized by the UN Environment Programme (UNEP) in partnership with the Office of the Chief Justice of Kenya, the Konrad Adenauer Foundation and the Judiciary Training Institute of Kenya (JTI), brought together 160 representatives of Africa’s judiciary and law enforcement authorities, and took place on 14-16 October 2015, in Nairobi, Kenya.
The meeting’s sessions focused on: environmental rule of law and sustainable development: public participation, human rights and accountability; criminal, civil and administrative enforcement in the field of environment: challenges and lessons learnt from the African perspective; Principle 10 and the Bali Guidelines; and obstacles to effective investigation, prosecution and adjudication of illegal wildlife trade.
Opening the event, Chief Justice of Kenya Willy Mutunga encouraged participants to formulate recommendations on areas and priorities for action and implementation. Ibrahim Thiaw, UNEP, said that success in implementing the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and the ‘Africa We Want’ agenda “hinges on our ability to harness Africa’s bountiful natural resources to power peaceful, inclusive and sustainable development.”
Participants at the meeting called for the development of a roadmap to support the full regional implementation of Principle 10 of the Rio Declaration on Environment and Development, as well as UNEP’s Bali Guidelines, which are meant to support implementation of Principle 10 by encouraging broad access to information, public participation and access to justice in environmental matters.
Participants also urged African countries to enhance transboundary cooperation in the fight against illegal wildlife trade and other environmental crimes. [UNEP Press Release] [Concept Note, Agenda for 1st Africa Colloquium on Environmental Rule of Law] [UNEP Webpage on Principle 10 and Bali Guidelines] [Rio Declaration on Environment and Development]