Using an International Human Rights Framework for Climate Justice Advocacy in the United States

Frontline communities affected by the climate crisis and other environmental harms may pursue various legal strategies to achieve climate and environmental justice, including both domestic civil rights and international human rights frameworks. Join OPIA for a community discussion with Wasserstein Fellow Maryum Jordan ’14, Climate Justice Attorney at Earthrights International, who will discuss such strategies and share some of her ongoing work with a coalition of Indigenous Tribes threatened by forcible climate displacement. Maryum will also discuss career paths for climate and environmental justice advocacy both in the U.S. and abroad.

Maryum Jordan (She/Her/Hers) first worked at EarthRights from 2014-2018 where she worked in both the Amazon and U.S. offices. During this time, she developed international legal and advocacy strategies with Indigenous community leaders and grassroots organizations in Peru and Ecuador, and represented clients in human rights litigation against multinational corporations. Before her return to EarthRights in 2022, Maryum served as counsel for the Special Litigation and Advocacy Project at the Lawyers’ Committee for Civil Rights Under Law. There, she supported legal and advocacy strategies in relation to cross-cutting racial justice issues including environmental racism and anti-Blackness in the U.S. immigration system. She also coordinated pro bono assistance to monitor law enforcement activity at demonstrations and to provide support to arrested protestors.

Maryum received her J.D. in 2014 from Harvard Law School where she was actively involved in the International Human Rights Clinic and the Law and International Development Society. She earned her B.A. from Harvard College.

Lunch provided. RSVP below.

If you or an event participant requires disability-related accommodations, please contact HLS Accessibility Services at accessibility@law.harvard.edu two weeks in advance of the event.