About & How We Engage

WCEL works to enhance the development and strengthen the implementation of environmental law and policy, including through best practices and inter-sectoral strategies for effective compliance and enforcement.

WCEL promotes the environmental rule of law globally, particularly in countries that seek to improve their law and governance systems.

WCEL aims to strengthen the capacity of governments, the judiciary, prosecutors, law schools and other stakeholders as they develop and implement environmental law.

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1200+ members

Description

a global network of environmental law and policy experts from all regions of the world

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8 specialist groups

Description

working on biodiversity, climate change, early career, ethics, oceans, peace, security & conflict, soils & sustainable agriculture, water and wetlands

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4 task forces

Description

on a Model Forest Act, on the Agreement on Plastic Pollution, on the Global Judicial Institute on the Environment, and on the Rights of Nature

Our mandate

The mission of the WCEL is to assure through the environmental rule of law, the proper valuation, conservation, restoration and sustainable use of nature through transformative change across legal, political, technological, social, financial and economic sectors. Fundamental, system-wide and cross-sectoral changes, including paradigms, goals and values, are necessary for achieving global and national sustainability goals, such as those expressed in the Sustainable Development Goals and the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, the 2050 Vision for Biodiversity, and in the Paris Agreement.

Environmental law is a crucial lever in generating transformative change. WCEL will work to enhance the development and strengthen the implementation of environmental law and policy, including through best practices and inter-sectoral strategies for effective compliance and enforcement. WCEL will promote the environmental rule of law globally, particularly in countries that seek to improve their law and governance systems. WCEL aims to strengthen the capacity of governments, the judiciary, prosecutors, law schools and other stakeholders as they develop and implement environmental law.

By-Laws

These By-Laws shall guide the Commission’s Members and cooperating institutions in furtherance of the mandate of the Commission as adopted by the IUCN Members Assembly and the objectives of IUCN as reflected in the Statutes of the IUCN and the IUCN Work Program as adopted by the World Conservation Congress to provide effective legal foundations for conserving the integrity and diversity of nature and to ensure that use of natural resources is equitable and ecologically sustainable.

WCEL membership

WCEL is a network of legal experts who make up the Commission membership. A law degree is required in order to apply for WCEL membership.

After applying for membership, WCEL's Steering Committee will review the application and where additional information is required, the applicant will be contacted. 

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Commission leadership

The Steering Committee governs the activities of WCEL. It is composed of the Commission Chair, the Deputy Chair, members, chairs emeriti and ex officio members. 

Chrstina Voigt, WCEL Commission chair

Dr. Christina Voigt, Chair

Dr. Christina Voigt is Professor of Law at the University of Oslo, Norway. She is an expert in international environmental law i.e., climate change, multilateralism and sustainability. 

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Law is the governance tool to translate science into action and to bring about systemic change. WCEL will work to promote and enhance the environmental rule of law to support such change.


Dr. Ayman Cherkaoui

Ayman Cherkaoui, Deputy Chair

Mr. Ayman Cherkaoui is the Coordinator for the Mohammed VI Prize for the Climate and Sustainable Development as well as Strategic Development Officer at the Mohammed VI Foundation for Environmental ...

Mr. Ayman Cherkaoui is the Coordinator for the Mohammed VI Prize for the Climate and Sustainable Development as well as Strategic Development Officer at the Mohammed VI Foundation for Environmental Protection. 

University of Oslo
Event
2022 Oslo International Environmental Law Conference

WCEL successfully hosted its 3rd International Environmental Law Conference at the University of Oslo. The conference focused on the Transformative Power of Law: Addressing Global Environmental Challenges.