Latest news and events

On 26 June 2026 in Geneva, UNECE, UNEP, UNDP, the European Forum of Judges for the Environment and the Global Judicial Institute on the Environment co-hosted the Judicial Colloquium on Adjudication of Cases related to Damage to Nature. The colloquium brought together over 20 senior justices to exchange perspectives on challenges, good practices and innovative tools for adjudicating damage to nature, including SireneJud and Bioval. The event highlighted strong judicial interest in dedicated spaces for peer exchange on environmental adjudication and identified future opportunities for

On 23-24 June 2026, a regional seminar “Justice, Biodiversity, and Global Change: Building on the Legacy of the Amphictyonic Congress” was held in Panama City. It brought together judges and justice operators from Latin America and the Caribbean to reflect on one of the greatest challenges of our time: the protection of biodiversity and the response to climate change from the judicial lens. The seminar aimed to strengthen judicial decision-making based on scientific evidence, promoting a better understanding of the links between the environment, biodiversity, climate change and human rights

Within the framework of 2026 World Environment Day, on 5 June 2026, the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) participated in the forum "Access to justice in the face of the triple environmental crisis in Mexico", a space for dialogue that brought together representatives of the judiciary, academia, civil society organizations, human rights defenders and Indigenous and Afro-Mexican communities to reflect on the environmental challenges facing the country. Approximately 90 participants attended the forum. The event included an Environmental Justice Pavilion, where civil society

UNEP co-organized with the Government of Vanuatu, the Pacific Community (SPC), the Pacific Islands Forum Secretariat (PIFS), the Secretariat of the Pacific Regional Environment Programme (SPREP) and UN agencies (OHCHR and ESCAP), the Pacific Climate Justice and Sea Level Rise Week, 25–28 May in Suva. The convening brought together Forum, SPC and UN members to consider the 2025 International Court of Justice Advisory Opinion on Obligations of States in respect of Climate Change as it relates to ongoing work in the Pacific on climate action and advancing climate justice. Participants considered

UNEP participated and supported the event on “The Role of Law and Judges”, the first of its kind, held during the 15th Conference of the Parties to Convention on the Conservation of Migratory Species of Wild Animals (CMS) on 24 March 2026. It included the participation of UNEP’s Deputy Executive Director, Elizabeth Mrema, and Deputy Director of the Law Division and CMS Executive Secretary-designate, Andy Raine. Other participants included judges, policymakers, government representatives, civil society representatives, and colleagues from MEAs Secretariats. Organizers: The High Court of Justice

The Model Forest Act Initiative (MoFAI) presented the latest draft of the General Part of the Model Forest Act at the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) World Commission on Environmental Law (WCEL) Conference and Steering Committee Meeting and secured endorsement to formally elevate the initiative to the IUCN Council. ADB Assistant General Counsel (Law and Policy Reform) Christina Pak highlighted progress made since the preliminary draft launch at COP30 (November 2025) and outlined the roadmap towards completion of the General Part, alongside the executive summary of the

MoFAI convened its first Partners and Advisory Council Meeting on 2 December 2025, with the Executive Board, Advisory Council, Drafting Committee, and Secretariat. Participants reaffirmed MoFAI’s “shopping cart” approach and advised on next priorities, including refining the preamble/principles, considered the 2025 ICJ climate advisory opinion “Obligations of States in respect of Climate Change” , addressing bioeconomy-driven wood demand (including the role of planted/secondary forests), and strengthening integrity and anti-corruption safeguards. Partners also highlighted the Legislative Guide

On November 13th, 2025, the executive director of the United Nations Environment Programme, Inger Andersen, delivered a speech on “The judiciary for climate justice and environmental rule of law” to celebrate the Justice, Climate and Human Rights Day during the 30th United Nations Climate Change Conference (COP 30). In the speech, Inger mentioned several current crises, including rising temperature, inadequate climate finance, and human rights violation under climate change. She also emphasized the importance of improving international architecture in place to make fast progress on climate

At UNFCCC COP30 in Belém, MoFAI presented the preliminary draft of the General Part of the Model Forest Act at the COP30 Forest Pavilion. The session convened judicial leaders, policymakers, and forest stakeholders to (i) introduce MoFAI as a global partnership for modernizing forest law, (ii) consult on key innovations and implementation needs, and (iii) identify post-COP30 entry points for piloting, capacity-building, and integration into national legal frameworks—toward the planned 2026 launch of the General Part and its companion Legislative Guide. Organizers: The Asian Development Bank

The Model Forest Act Initiative (MoFAI) is a groundbreaking effort to provide an innovative legal blueprint for policymakers to use in modernizing law for the protection, conservation, restoration, and ecologically sustainable management and use of forests. In this session, MoFAI partners discussed 21st century environmental crises, such as deforestation and forest degradation, climate change, and biodiversity loss, and presented the draft Model Forest Act—an adaptable legislative framework that can assist countries in responding to these challenges, focusing on effective implementation and