A prestigious international award – the Leverhulme Visiting Professorship – has been granted to Professor Marie-Claire Cordonier Segger of the School of Environment, Enterprise and Development (SEED), Faculty of Environment, University of Waterloo, by the University of Cambridge to visit the UK and inspire new law and policy research, teaching and dialogue on climate change and sustainability over the coming two years.
Countries have committed to deliver 17 ambitious global Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), ranging from SDG 1 (no poverty) to SDG 13 (climate action), to SDG 15 (life on land), to SDG 16 (peace, justice and good governance) among others, on all levels by 2030. However, the world is in a climate emergency, and significant gaps remain between the ambitious international law/policy targets of the SDGs and the capacity of law and policy makers, academics and graduates destined for the public and private sector to deliver, across Canada, the UK and globally.
This prestigious Leverhulme Visiting Professorship, awarded by the University of Cambridge to Prof Marie-Claire Cordonier Segger, bridges the gap. It invites an “outstanding, eminent international professor” with global expertise in law and governance solutions to climate change and sustainable development, from the University of Waterloo and the Centre for International Sustainable Development Law (CISDL) in Canada, to spend several months over the course of the coming two years delivering a series of high profile lectures at the University of Cambridge, the University of Oxford, London School of Economics (LSE) and others, and enhancing knowledge on climate change and the SDGs.
The award is one of the first Leverhulme Trust Visiting Professorships to be won for women at the University of Cambridge, and very rare to be granted in the social sciences. Professor Cordonier Segger was nominated by the University of Cambridge, and is hosted by the Bennett Institute for Public Policy in collaboration with colleagues from Law, Land Economy and other departments.
Quote from the Dean of the Laureate’s Faculty:
“It is wonderful to see Prof. Cordonier Segger being recognized in this way. Her leadership on sustainability and climate change law and governance is a gift to Canada and the world.” Dean Jean Andrey, Faculty of Environment, University of Waterloo, Canada.
Brief Summary of the Leverhulme Trust Visiting Professor’s Programme:
The Visiting Professorship is awarded by the University of Cambridge, whose Bennett Institute, in partnership with colleagues from other faculties and departments, nominated Professor Cordonier Segger for the award.
By delivering an integrated programme of six high-profile Leverhulme Lectures in Oxford, Cambridge, London, Norwich and other venues; hosting skills transfer and mentorship workshops; co-leading research case study seminars backed by world-class expertise; co-hosting public law and policy dialogues on climate change and the world’s Sustainable Development Goals; and helping to found a UK Sustainable Development Solutions Network; the senior international Leverhulme Trust Visiting Professor will substantially contribute to building new research partnerships, dialogue and expertise with the University of Cambridge’s Bennett Institute on Public Policy, the Department of Land Economy, and the Faculty of Law, among others, helping to incentivize, engage, achieve and measure progress on the global response to climate change and other key SDGs for present and future generations.
Dialogue, profile and expertise to be transferred through the Award, through several visits over the course of two years:
* Prof Cordonier Segger has internationally-honed skills and expertise in developing international and domestic legal preparedness to deliver the SDGs, experience in designing and implementing innovative, networked, inclusive policy, governance and law processes and methods, and helped to found Canada’s SDSN. She holds deep and successful academic scholarly and also globally-relevant practical experience in supporting law and policy reform for genuine research impact.
* She presently leads several outstanding and globally relevant international law and policy research networks and projects to incentivize, achieve, promote coordination and co-benefits between the SDGs. She has also important skills and expertise in establishing innovative public policy instruments backed by legal and governance reform to ensure that public policy efforts and programmes to deliver the SDGs, particularly those related to SDG 1 (no poverty), SDG 13 (climate change), SDG 14 (life below water), SDG 15 (life on land) and SDG 16 (peace, justice and good governance), can be reliably measured and monitored.
* She has experience establishing and chairing/hosting policy dialogues on climate change and other key SDGs for better informed and coherent policy and law-making, launching research-based law and policy journals and publication series, and engaging students and academic staff in law/policy case studies related to the needs of future generations.
More information here
