Biodiversity
Adv. Harry Jonas
Adv. Harry Jonas is Senior Director, Conservation Areas at WWF US. He provides support to country offices on protected and conserved areas, with a focus on promoting inclusive, equitable and effective area-based conservation across landscapes, seascapes and river basins. He is a global leader in an emerging framework designed to improve the recognition and support for nature stewardship beyond protected areas: ‘other effective area-based conservation measures’ (OECMs). He initiated and co-facilitated the international process to define the term and there are now ~1.6 million km2 of terrestrial, freshwater, coastal and marine areas reported as OECMs. Harry is an international lawyer and previously co-founded Natural Justice, an organisation providing legal support to Indigenous Peoples and local communities across the African continent on human rights and environmental issues. During a decade in Malaysia, Harry facilitated shark and ray conservation and helped to establish the Forever Sabah Institute – promoting grounded, critical learning and exchange. He is an Ashoka Fellow.
Human Rights
Dr. Margaretha Wewerinke-Singh is Assistant Professor of Public International Law. Her research broadly speaking focuses on the role of law in addressing sustainable development challenges. Her recent book, State Responsibility, Climate Change and Human Rights (Hart Publishing) explains when and where State action related to climate change may amount to a violation of human rights. In 2018 she received a NWO Veni-grant for her project Climate Justice through the Courts (2019-2021). This project uses socio-legal research to investigate the effectiveness and potential drawbacks of rights-based climate litigation.
Natural Resources
Prof. Emmanuella Doussis is a Professor of International Institutions at the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, director of the Institute of European Integration and Policy and UNESCO chairholder on climate diplomacy. She has studied political science and law at the University of Athens and at the Sorbonne in Paris (Paris I). After a first Master’s in Public International Law, she completed a second one in Environmental Law and a phd in International Law. She has been visiting professor at the Universities of Bourgogne, Grenoble-Alpes and Aix-Marseille, and visiting fellow at the University of Geneva and the European University Institute in Florence. She is a member of the ILA Committee on the role of international law in sustainable management of natural resources and the Greek National Committee for Adaptation on Climate Change. She has published alone or in collaboration with other authors ten books, and numerous articles in peer-review international journals, is a member of the Scientific Council of the Center for Mediterranean Integration and a member of the World Commission on Environmental Law.
Climate Change
Adv. James Cameron is a Senior Advisor to Pollination Global, SYSTEMIQ, Tulchan, AVAIO Capital and Carbon Cap. He is the Chairman of Global Sustainable Capital Management (GSCM), energy tech start-up, Verv, and former Chairman of the Overseas Development Institute (ODI), 2012 – 2020. He is on the Advisory Council at Neste (Finland) and Heathrow 2.0 (on the future of aviation), the Advisory Board of Sun New Energy holdings (India), Advisory Board to the Green Finance Institute, Advisory Committee of Blue Marine Foundation, Chair of European Advisory Board for Smart Surfaces Coalition, Advisory Committee of IP Group, UK Advisory Board Member of IDH.
Trade and Investment
Adv. Vesselina Haralampieva is a Senior Counsel at the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) in London, U.K. who specializes in energy regulation, environmental law and sustainable finance. She leads the energy and climate change practice area of the Office of the General Counsel’s Legal Transition Team. Vesselina is in charge of designing and implementing policy and legal reform projects in the EBRD region aimed at enabling green transition and sustainable development. She has supported national authorities in developing legislation on energy efficiency and reform and renewable energy.
Peace, Justice and Good Governance
Justice Antonio Benjamin was appointed to the National High Court of Brazil (STJ) in 2006, was Assistant Attorney General of the State of São Paulo for over twenty years, where he headed the Environmental Protection Division for several years, and in 2015, Justice Benjamin was appointed Justice of the Superior Electoral Tribunal of Brazil (TSE), where he is Electoral Inspector-General. Justice Benjamin was also the Chair of the IUCN World Commission on Environmental Law – WCEL, and Secretary-General of UN Environment’s International Advisory Council for Environmental Justice.
Mr Pulasthi Hewamanne, LLM (Kings), LLB (London), is a lawyer and advocate from Sri Lanka. With a decade of experience in Human Rights litigation, Public Law, Administrative Law and Environmental Law, teaching students of the (external) LLB Programmes for University of London, International Women & Children Rights for a Master Programme conducted by Birmingham University at Horizon Malabe Campus, and Visiting lecturer in Maldives. During this time, Mr. Hewamanne has worked closely with the Legal Aid Commission of Sri Lanka to provide legal advice and representation for those who seek legal aid, and acts as a consultant for several civil society groups working on human rights and anti-corruption issues, and is currently Deputy Chair at Transparency International Sri Lanka
