Building Environmental Law Capacity within the African Judiciary

In March 2024, Professor Sandy Paterson was invited by the Judicial Institute for Africa to present an Environmental Law Training Programme to 25 judges drawn from 12 African countries. The training was held in Nairobi, and aimed to build the judges appreciation of and familiarity with the legal components one typically finds in domestic and international environmental law, with a specific focus on their relevance to judicial decision-making. During the five days, the judges had an opportunity to engage with these issues in both a theoretical and practical manner. The last day was spent focusing on a series of factual scenarios drawn from recent environmental cases, with judges being encouraged to interrogate both the environmental legal components relevant to the scenarios and potential opportunities and hurdles litigants may face in bringing such matters before the judiciary. They all had an opportunity to engage with Professor Kameri-Mbote, the current director of the Law Division at UNEP, during the closing session.