Some Headway Made at Lima Climate Change Conference

Earlier this month, over 190 United Nations (UN) Member States gathered in Lima, Peru to discuss preparations for a new international agreement on climate change, scheduled to be finalized in late 2015 in Paris, France. [UNFCCC: Lima Call] Having reached conclusions on the core elements of the new agreement, the ground rules for States’ individual commitments, and the importance of

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UN Climate Summit 2014 Yields Mass Public Mobilization, Political Commitments as Participants Hope to Lay Groundwork for Global Climate Change Treaty

The much anticipated one-day Climate Summit 2014 took place this Tuesday, September 23 at the United Nations (UN) headquarters in New York, marking the international community’s latest effort to address climate change. Hosted by UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, Climate Summit 2014 aimed to engage world leaders and encourage international action to slow climate change. Governments at the Summit were expected

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Some Progress toward International Agreement at Warsaw Climate Change Conference

The 19th Session of the Conference of Parties to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change, held in Warsaw from November 11 to 23, was designed to bring the international community one step closer to the development of a new international agreement to address climate change. Representatives from the 195 Parties  to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC)

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IACtHR Swears in New Judges, Hears Cases on Range of Issues during Ongoing 98th Session

The Inter-American Court of Human Rights (IACtHR) is holding its 98th Ordinary Session from February 4 through February 15, 2013 at its seat in San José, Costa Rica. [IACtHR Press Release (Spanish)] During this session, the Court will hear evidence and legal arguments from the parties in six cases pending before it, preside over private hearings on States’ compliance with three previous judgments,

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States to Negotiate, Adopt Treaty Regulating Mercury Emissions which Advocates Hope Will Address Health and Environmental Concerns

This week, governments are gathered in Geneva to negotiate the final text of an international treaty to regulate the uses and handling of mercury. [WP]  In direct response to a 270-page United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) report citing a lack of uniform global oversight on mercury emissions, the UNEP Governing Council recognized in 2009 that a legally binding document on

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The International Emergence of South Africa and South African Civil Society

Adam Nord contributes this post illustrating and reflecting on the growing prominence of South Africa and its developing civil society in international legal affairs of significance for the entire globe.   In his position as Lobbying and Engagement Manager at CIVICUS: World Alliance for Citizen Participation, based in Johannesburg, Adam plays an active role in influencing high-level decision makers with local

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