Professors:
- ´³´Ç³ó²¹²Ô²Ô²¹Ìý³Ò³Ü²õ³¾²¹²Ô,ÌýRegional Adviser, Human Rights and Social Development Division of Human Rights and Social Development Secretariat of the Pacific Community (SPC)/Fiji.
- ²Ñ²¹°ù³¦´Ç²õÌý°¿°ù±ð±ô±ô²¹²Ô²¹,ÌýSpecial Rapporteur on toxics and human rights.
Course Description:
The intersection of human rights and the environment is a rapidly evolving field, serving as a crucial framework for legal advocacy, education, activism and corporate responsibility. While human rights and environmental issues are distinct areas, they are closely interconnected. Substantively, a healthy environment is recognized as a fundamental human right, and procedurally, environmental rights provide the means to guarantee these protections. Together, these rights acknowledge the inseparable relationship between the well-being of individuals, communities, and the planet. Despite the rapid growth of environmental rights, nearly 50 years of collective recognition of the right to a healthy environment still falls short of ideal standards, with many lives threatened or lost in the struggle to protect  these rights. This course will examine trends, legal issues, and practical application through a review of global legal developments and practices across various jurisdictions and mechanisms. In particular, the seminar will address the challenges of integrating environmental considerations into economic processes and examine how corporate activities often contribute to environmental rights violations. Students will examine the linkages between the two fields and emerge with a coherent global perspective on trends and strategies.