Symposium – African Perspectives on International Climate Change Law

There has been a significant rise in climate change litigation over the last decade. The recent advisory opinion proceedings before the International Court of Justice (ICJ) and the International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea (ITLOS), as well as the request for an advisory opinion before the Inter-American Court of Human Rights are judicial proceedings with potentially far-reaching implications towards the obligations of states in connection with climate change.
Event banner for “Symposium: African Perspectives on International Climate Change Law” on March 29, 9 am – 5 pm. In Austin 111 at Harvard Law School.

Although African states have signalized a willingness to play a significant role in global climate matters, it is far from clear whether or how much they will participate in shaping international climate change law. This is despite the fact that Africa has contributed only to a very limited extent to the climate crisis, with just about 4% percent of global cumulative emissions, and stands out disproportionately as one of the most vulnerable regions in the world. This symposium will foreground African perspectives on international climate change law which, due to pre-existing power structures, are more likely to be overlooked in global norm-making processes.

The symposium is co-organized by HRP, the Center for International Law & Policy in Africa (CILPA) and the Dullah Omar Institute at the University of the Western Cape. It is co-sponsored by the Salata Institute, the Petrie-Flom Center, the David Rockefeller for Latin American Studies, Human Rights Entrepreneurs and Incubator Clinic, and the Program on Law and Society in the Muslim World.