Kathryn (Katy) Gwiazdon is a lawyer, author, advisor, and connector who specializes in the role of the state in global governance and the inter-sectionality of ethics and the environment with all policy issues. She has 15+ years of expertise in local-regional-global research, advocacy, and diplomacy in international environmental law development; 20+ peer-reviewed publications on international law, environmental law, comparative law, human rights, human security, global governance, justice, and ethics (and is currently co-editing a publication on Applied Climate Ethics for Routledge (2022)); professional experience and academic credentials in local, state, and federal government, campaign management, and government and non-governmental strategic planning; and five years of experience teaching undergraduate (B.A.), graduate (J.D.), and post-graduate (LL.M.) courses. She also serves in leadership, advisor, and expert roles with several international organizations, Boards, and Steering Committees that advance good governance, environmental protection, and public health, with a vast network of friends and colleagues at all career levels. Katy’s work focuses on systems of law and governance that harm and help our [human and] natural world, with particular consideration to the underlying values and power dynamics. As such, she is the Founder and Executive Director of the Center for Environmental Ethics and Law, an international non-profit organization based in the United States (501(c)3) that works with government and non-governmental organizations around the world to advance ethics in policy-making to better protect our natural world. Alongside her role as Executive Director, she currently teaches Public International Law at Northern Illinois University College of Law. Katy often presents her work with partner organizations, universities, Conferences of the Parties of treaty bodies, and at other local, regional, national, and international events. Notably, in 2020, she spoke as a Keynote at the Lisbon Forum of the North-South Center of the Council of Europe on using the ethical and legal principle of ubuntu as a methodology to build global solidarity. In 2018, she spoke before the UN General Assembly on corruption and ethics in environmental policy-making.

Cristiane Derani is a Professor at the Federal University of Santa Catarina, Brazil, where she teaches Public International Law, International Economic Law and International Environmental Law. She is also Research Coordinator and Head of the research group on ‘Advanced Studies of Economics and Environment in International Law’(EMAE), as well as a Researcher of the Brazilian National Research Agency (CNPq). During 2022-23 she is visiting scholar in the IREDIES – Institut de Recherche en Droit International et Europeen de la Sorbonne. Member of the steering committee of Cambridge Global Food Security- GFS of the University of Cambridge – UK, where she is also fellow in the Centre for Environment, Energy and Natural Resources Governance, since 2016. Member of the expert group of United Nations program Harmonia with Nature, steering committee member of the ELGA- Ecological Law and Governance Association and coordinator of the network of the new Latin American constitutionalism for the State of Santa Catarina

She was prorector on graduate studies at Universidade Federal de Santa Catarina (2018-2022), where she manages all University’s masters and doctors' programs. During this time, she achieved the approval of a resolution introducing affirmative action in the graduation studies. She also sett up an Institute for Advanced Studies at the University.

She graduated in Law from São Paulo State University (1988), wrote her PhD dissertation at J.W. Goethe Universitaet, Frankfurt a.M. (1991-1993), and was awarded a Ph.D. in Economic Law at USP (1996), where she worked as Associated Professor (1997-2004). She conducted post-doctoral studies at Ecole des Hautes Etudes en Sciences Sociales (EHESS), in France, about the Privatisation of Public Services and Sustainable Development (1999) and passed her Aggregation in Law at USP in 2001. From 2000 to 2007, she was a Professor at Pablo d’Olavide University in Seville, Spain, teaching environmental law and sustainable development. She was also a Visiting Scholar at the European University Institute (2001), a Visiting Professor at Maison de Sciences de l’Homme (2005), as well as a Visiting Professor at the J.W. Goethe Universitaet (2005). She was responsible for the creation of a master’s degree at University of the State of Amazonas. She has experience as part of the Brazilian delegation for the COP 8 and 9 of the Convention on Biological Diversity.

Derani’s passion for nature motivated her academic career since college, where she acted as an activist, and after as lawyer for environmental associations. As professor she works engaging students and acting as a consultant for the public and private sector. Cristiane has published two single authored monographs: ‘Environmental Economic Law’ and ‘Privatisation and Public Service’. She has also edited several volumes and published numerous articles on environmental law, economic law, biodiversity, climate change, and sustainable development law. Her main research areas are in international environmental law, globalisation, sustainability and decoloniality, climate change and energy governance, food security and trade law.