Conferences & Workshops
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CISDL Events Conference & Workshops in 2010 - 2011
Symposium in Honour of the late Justice Charles D. Gonthier: Responsibility, Fraternity and Sustainability in Law
The symposium ‘Responsibility, Fraternity and Sustainability in Law’ in memory of the honourable Charles D. Gonthier took place at the McGill University Faculty of Law on May 20-21 2011. The themes of the symposium were designed to recognise and commemorate the outstanding legacy of Charles D. Gonthier. As a judge, he sought for novel and contextual solutions to a wide variety of legal problems, gaining inspiration from values that are essential to our society. In his research, he developed these values in several legal domains, in common law as well as Quebec civil law. This prestigious event brought together more than fifty Canadian and foreign speakers, including three judges of the Supreme Court of Canada, five judges from Canadian appeal courts, one member of the French Constitutional Council, a former vice-president of the International Court of Justice and a former judge of the South African Constitutional Court. Judge-student mentorship sessions open to all student attendees were also organised during the conference. A gala dinner will took place during the symposium, on Friday May 20th and was be hosted by the Right Honorable Beverley McLachlin, CP, Chief Justice of Canada.
The symposium was recognised as an instant and tremendous success by participants, speakers and organisers alike. Keynote speeches were delivered by leading international and Canadian jurists, who were also close to Charles D. Gonthier, such as Justice Albie Sachs (South African Constitutional Court), Justice Ian Binnie (Canadian Supreme Court), Justice Christopher G. Weeramantry (former Vice-President of the International Court of Justice) or Mr. Guy Canivet (French Constutional Council), to cite only a few. Panels, all derived from themes dear to Charles D. Gonthier, successfully brought together leading practitioners and scholars with upcoming young jurists. The judge-student session was very much appreciated by all of the student attendees, and allowed an informal interaction between law students and several judges from Canadian Appellate Courts.
The proceedings and videos of the symposium are available at http://cisdl.org/gonthier/.
CISDL hosts Roundtable Dialogue on Legal Empowerment of the Poor for Sustainable Livelihoods
The CISDL hosted on 21 March 2011 a Roundtable Dialogue on Legal Empowerment of the Poor (LEP) for Sustainable Livelihoods in Ottawa, Canada. Participants included legal scholars and jurists from all across Canada. This Roundtable Dialogue aimed to involve major stakeholders in an open discussion on how key Canadian actors are contributing to the realisation of the LEP agenda, and what more can be done. Participants discussed for example the roles of Canada, and Canadians in promoting legal empowerment of the poor, including through research, action and policy leadership, as well as how to build understanding and support for legal empowerment in Canada, and among partners. The CISDL drafted a discussion paper for the Roundtable, which is available below.
You can read the Programme here.
Sustainable Development in World Investment Law International Legal Experts Seminar & Book Launch
The CISDL hosted an International Legal Experts Seminar on 7 May 2011 at the Lauterpach Centre for International Law (LCIL) in Cambridge University, UK. Through three legal experts panels, and a roundtable of leading figures in investment law, practitioners and scholars discussed new developments and directions for investment treaty practice and jurisprudence, and identify key areas for a future legal research agenda for sustainable development and investment law. The event closed with a Book Launch Reception for MC Cordonier Segger, M Gehring & A Newcombe (eds.), Sustainable Development in World Investment Law (Kluwer Law International, 2010), to which Seminar speakers and participants contributed.
You can read the Programme here.
CISDL Participation in the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) 16th Conference of the Parties
The CISDL Director and Secretariat, in collaboration with CISDL Lead Counsels Konstantia Koutouki, Markus Gehring and Sebastien Jodoin as well as CISDL associate fellows and legal research group members organised the CISDL delegation to the UNFCCC COP16 in Cancun, Mexico. In recognition of its growing involvement and participant in UNFCCC COP’s, the UNFCCC Secretariat granted the CISDL a large number of delegates, allowing for a broad CISDL delegation composed of the Secretariat, Director, Lead Counsels as well as a number of Associate Fellows and Members of the Legal Research Group. The CISDL participation in the COP16 was also the opportunity to strengthen CISDL collaboration with the International Development Law Organisation (IDLO), through the co-organisation of 4 events at the COP and the publication of a joint working paper series composed of 12 working papers, contributed by a broad array of CISDL members and published online at the CISDL and IDLO websites. The working paper series were an instant success, and the CISDL and IDLO granted awards to CISDL members Sarah Mason-Case and Benoit Mayer for their outstanding contributions. Strong collaboration between various CISDL members was instrumental in planning the 2 official side-events co-hosted by the CISDL at the COP, as well as the panel organised at the ICTSD conference and a workshop to plan involvement with the Rio+20 process. The CISDL Secretariat significantly developed its capacity and experience in organising successful events at UN conferences. Full reports from all of the events were subsequently drafted and published online on the CISDL website. The CISDL further organised a post COP16 panel at McGill University, chaired by CISDL Senior Research Fellow Prof. Richard Janda, which allowed for a thorough discussion of the outcomes of the conference and the way forward.
You can read the Programme for the COP16 events here.
You can read the Announcement of the Post-COP16 event here.
Canada - European Union Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement negotiations - A preliminary legal assessment
In January 2011, CISDL Members took part in the Jean Monnet Chair Seminar on the Canada-EU Comprehensive Economic and Trade Agreement negotiations at the University of Ottawa, with a keynote by Prof. Armand de Mestral, Monnet Chair in the Law of International Economic Integration, Prof. Markus W. Gehring, ad personam Jean Monnet Chair in Sustainable Development Law, and interventions by Prof. Celine Levesque (University of Ottawa), Prof. Konstantia Koutouki (Université de Montreal) and Frederic Perron-Welch (CISDL Legal Research Fellow).
You can read the Programme here.
CISDL Events in the Convention on Biological Diversity 10th Conference of the Parties
In October 2010, CISDL members held an active and significant role in the 10th UNCBD COP in Nagoya, Japan. CISDL Legal Research Fellow Olivier Rukundo presented the results of CISDL participation in the ABS Capacity Building Initiative for Africa at their side-event to CBD COP 10 on October 18, 2010 titled "Implementing ABS in Africa". This included participation in an ABS and Forest Workshop in Nairobi, Kenya, in 2009; a study called “Compendium of Selected ABS Laws in Africa,” which provides an experience-sharing platform, using examples from Cameroon, Ethiopia, Kenya, South Africa and Uganda; and a study on ABS and Forests. CISDL Lead Counsel Jorge Cabrera and Legal Research Fellow Olivier Rukundo presented at a side-event to CBD COP 10 on October 19th, 2010 titled "Intellectual Property, Trade and Biodiversity Conservation: A South-South Exchange" put on by the International Centre for Trade and Sustainable Development. They spoke on issues related to intellectual property and the prospective international regime on access and benefit sharing. CISDL Legal Research Fellow Frederic Perron-Welch presented the results of a CISDL study on ABS and Forests at a side-event to CBD COP 10 put on by the International Union of Forest Research Organizations on October 22nd, 2010 titled "Why Forest Governance Matters". In particular, he addressed the overlap between the CBD Programmes of Work on Forest Biodiversity, Article 8(j) and related provisions, and Article 15 on Access and Benefit Sharing with the United Nations Forum on Forests Non Legally Binding Instrument on All Types of Forests. Further, CISDL Director Marie-Claire Cordonier Segger presented the World Future Council’s Future Policy Award in on October 26, 2010 in conjunction with the UNCBD.
Implementing Utopia: Human Rights, Sustainability & the Millennium Development Goals
In August 2010, the CISDL sponsored a workshop at the 74th Biennial Conference of the International Law Association in The Hague on the topic of Implementing Utopia: Human Rights, Sustainability & the Millennium Development Goals. In 2000, the international community of States set ambitious aims with the Millennium Development Goals, and in 2002, the World Summit on Sustainable Development confirmed commitments to social, environmental and economic sustainability. By 2015 the proportion of people suffering from hunger shall be reduced, universal primary education achieved, mortality rates among mothers and children will be reduced, principles of sustainable development will be integrated into country policies, and an open, rule-based, predictable, non-discriminatory trading and financial system will be developed. With only five years to go, however, and given the recent global financial and economic crisis, the achievement of these aims seems almost utopian. The workshop examined the extent to which the MDGs and other global 'soft law' commitments represent universal values, and their degree of enforceability. The workshop also developed the theme of the role of international law in the realisation of such goals, and how progress might be achieved against all odds.
Advancing the Frontiers of International Treaties for Sustainability
In May 2010, the CISDL held two experts panels in Montreal on the topic of “Advancing the Frontiers of International Treaties for Sustainability.” The first panel, “A New Access & Benefit Sharing Protocol: Aspects of Agreement in Nagoya,” addressed questions relating to the status of an ABS Protocol, as well as the challenges facing such a Protocol and the major international and domestic legal issues which any such a Protocol would need to address. The second panel, “The Future of the UN Climate Regime: Potential for Commitments in Cancun,” addressed the role of climate cooperation in areas such as reducing emissions from deforestation (REDD+), adaptation, and technology transfer, as well as the impact of the Copenhagen Accord on future climate regime negotiations.
You can read the Programme here.
CISDL & the Global Green Economy
In May 2010, the CISDL co-hosted two events in Montreal which featured Dr. Pavan Sukhdev of UNEP while he was on a tour of Canada. The first event was an experts workshop that discussed the outcomes of a new global study on the economics of ecosystem and biodiversity (TEEB), focusing on ways to increase incentives for the protection of biodiversity and the sustainable use of ecosystem services in North America. The second event, “Moving Forward into the Global Green Economy,” was held at the McGill Faculty Club. At this event, Dr. Sukhdev discussed innovative new economic law and policy options to protect ecosystems and biodiversity on an international level, and how to manage and the transition to a global green economy in front of an audience of policy makers, civil society representatives, academics, the media, and students from a number of Montreal-based universities. These events were an interesting background for the CISDL in terms of its future involvement with the Rio+20 process in 2012.