About Us
The CISDL is an independent international legal research institute integrating environment, human rights and economy through legal scholarship and empowerment.
Our Mission
Our Charitable Objectives
- To advance education on law on sustainable development by providing workshops, courses, seminars and conferences to the public in Canada and other countries.
- To conduct research on law on sustainable development, and to disseminate the research findings to the public.
Our Principles
1) Integrated Approach: We foster an integrated and comprehensive approach to international environmental, human rights and economic law.
2) Transparency & Accountability: We set achievable goals, work to attain them and evaluate them periodically in an open way.
3) Mentorship & Capacity Development: We support an open learning environment with respect for varying levels of knowledge and development.
4) Solidarity and Shared Commitment: Partners and members can rely on each other around the world to support each other and the centre.
5) Support for Strategies on all Levels: We recognise the need for distinct, effective levels of action, whether local, domestic, regional or global, though we focus on the international.
6) Synergy: We build upon the synergies between the diverse talents, origins and insights of our members and partners and welcome inter-disciplinary approaches.
7) Equity: We are committed to gender balance and the inclusion of diverse ethnic, racial, religious and age backgrounds, among others, in all our operations and activities.
8) Autonomy: We operate as an independent research centre, working closely with other partners.
9) Focus and Analytical Rigour: We will be precise and clear in defining our research objectives, and ensure peer review and accuracy in all products and methods.
10) Passive Tri-lingualism: We will strive to provide all essential information in English, French and Spanish, and to ensure that English, Spanish and French speakers are able to effectively participate in our work.
11) Participation and Cooperation: We involve, at appropriate levels, all relevant actors in dialogue and cooperation for the projects and governance of the CISDL.
12) Sustainable Operating Style: We will strive to ensure that our activities have the lowest ecological footprint possible, procurement choices take social and environmental criteria into account, and sustainable lifestyles are promoted for all those involved in the Centre.
13) Academic Freedom: We respect the right of our members to state and publish their opinions based on their research.
14) Authorship: We ensure that all researchers involved in our publications are appropriately acknowledged and credited, no matter their level of seniority, and that the joint intellectual property of researchers and the CISDL is respected.
2022-2027 Objectives
- To achieve research and education impact by coordinating the provision of CISDL expertise and analysis in international treaty negotiation and implementation, in collaboration with CISDL partners and networks, building a strong and coherent legal presence in international agendas related to sustainable development, and successfully consolidating global partnership initiatives to strengthen the contributions of law and governance towards implementation of international treaties on sustainable development;
- To advance education by creating and launching new international education and capacity-building on law and governance for sustainable development; offering hybrid or in-person courses alongside international treaty events and in leading universities worldwide, together with partners; developing and disseminating online courses on legal aspects of global Sustainable Development Goals; and leading international student essay competitions;
- To promote world-class scholarship through engaging the CISDL fellowship and networks in our flagship series of Cambridge University Press books on the implementation of treaties for sustainable development; publishing other world-class books, compendia, manuals, working papers and blogs on law and sustainable development; developing law and governance textbooks on sustainable development with leading publishers; and expanding the CISDL website and social media presence;
- To promote new ideas, dialogue and collaboration on justice for sustainable development, continuing the successful Hon Justice CD Gonthier Memorial Lectures at the McGill University Faculty of Law with world-class events in 2024 and 2026, implementing the new global awards and fellowship to honour the legacy of HE Justice CG Weeramantry, co-hosting further international symposia, roundtables, workshops and other forums, and supporting the formation of an international association or academic society on sustainable development governance and law.
Integrating Environment, Human Rights & Economy through Legal Scholarship & Empowerment
The CISDL is an independent international legal research institute with a mandate to support understanding, development and implementation of law for sustainable development; leading international research through facilitating legal scholarship and dialogue, and education through strengthening legal knowledge and capacity.
With a distinguished international Board of Governors, a Senior Director, eight Lead Counsel, an International Fellowship engaging over 120 academics and professionals across more than 60 countries, a Secretariat at the McGill University Faculty of Law in Canada, and members at the University of Cambridge, the University of Nairobi, and the University of Chile, the CISDL convenes a global network of international legal experts, scholars and jurists in sustainable development law and practice. The CISDL leads global initiatives and projects in collaboration with a range of international partner organizations including the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD), the Ramsar Convention, the World Trade Organization (WTO), and the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), among others, and is an accredited observer organization to the United Nations General Assembly’s Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC).
Hon Justice CD Gonthier Memorial Lecture
The Charles D Gonthier Memorial Lecture Series honours the first Chair of the CISDL Board of Governors, the Honourable Judge Charles Doherty Gonthier. Judge Gonthier guided law and legal culture for decades throughout his career, including in his early private practice and in his public service as a member of the Quebec Superior Court, Quebec Court of Appeal and as a piusne judge on the Supreme Court of Canada for 17 distinguished years.
The Charles D Gonthier Memorial Lecture Series honours the first Chair of the CISDL Board of Governors, the Honourable Judge Charles Doherty Gonthier. Judge Gonthier guided law and legal culture for decades throughout his career, including in his early private practice and in his public service as a member of the Quebec Superior Court, Quebec Court of Appeal and as a piusne judge on the Supreme Court of Canada for 17 distinguished years.
As those who had the privilege to know him are aware, judicial integrity, responsibility and fraternity were important values to Honourable Judge Charles D Gonthier, and he supported legal research, education and practical activities to promote sustainable development, in its economic, environmental and social dimensions.
The CISDL, in collaboration with the Charles D. Gonthier Legacy Committee, organizes an annual lecture series in memory of the honourable Charles D. Gonthier. The bilingual lecture series takes place every year or every two years, depending on available funds, at the McGill University Faculty of Law in Montreal. A prominent speaker selected by a distinguished committee is invited to speak on a theme related to Charles D. Gonthier’s legal worldview.
2015
Friday, 22 May, 2015
“Responsibility, Fraternity and Sustainability in International Law”
H.E. Judge James Crawford AC, Member of the International Court of Justice
2017
Friday, June 23, 2017
“Justice and a Common Future in a Divided World” – Link to lecture
Ms. Irene Khan, Director-General of the International Development Law Organization (IDLO).
Hon Justice Guy Canivet, Vice-Chair of the IOC Ethics Commission, former member of the French Constitutional Court and President of the Cour de Cassation of France.
