Billion-dollar wildlife industry in Vietnam under assault as law drafted to halt trading
Vietnam’s prime minister, Nguyen Xuan Phuc, has asked the country’s agriculture ministry to draft a directive to stop illegal trading and consumption of wildlife over fears it spreads disease. The directive, seen as a victory for animal rights organisations, will lead to a clamping down on street-side markets dotted across the country, increase prosecutions of […]
National (UK) Pro Bono Week 4-8 November
This is coming up – showcasing the power and reach of probono
Inter American Court recognises Human Right to Healthy Environment
The Inter-American Court of Human Rights has issued a landmark opinion that equates environmental protection with human rights, a conclusion that could force countries in Latin American and beyond to tackle climate change more aggressively. The advisory opinion represents the first time the Inter-American Court has recognized a fundamental right to a healthy environment, a […]
Colombian Youth launch climate change action
Today, a group of 25 plaintiffs, between 7 and 26 years old, are filing a legal action to demand that the national government protects their rights to a healthy environment, life, health, food, and water. They claim that the rampant deforestation in the Colombian Amazon and climate change are threatening these rights. This is the […]
City of New York sues fossil fuel companies over climate change sea level rise
A suit was filed on 9 January 2018 in New York by the City of New York against a number of major oil companies. It seeks to hold them liable in respect of the cost of sea level rise/flood defences for the city, based on their conduct is causing or encouraging large scale emissions. This is not […]
Indigenous Cambodians fight for rights to ancestral land
Indigenous Cambodian communities are fighting to establish legal rights to their ancestral lands. So far, thousands have succeeded in establishing legal titles to traditional community land, thanks to a movement spearheaded by a range of organisations. The United Nations, civil society and donor agencies are working together to assist indigenous communities to claim land ownership […]
Children take Trump to court over climate policy
Kids are taking the feds – and possibly Trump – to court over climate change. John D. Sutter, CNN News. Donald Trump is being sued before a federal court case for his inaction on climate change. The plaintiffs are 21 children who want to enforce their right to a livable atmosphere. A federal judge on […]
Ganges river granted legal rights
by Rina Chandran | Thomson Reuters Foundation Tuesday, 21 March 2017 An Indian court has declared the sacred Ganges and Yamuna rivers living entities, giving them the same legal rights as human beings. The high court in India’s northern Uttarakhand state on Monday said the Ganges and its longest tributary, the Yamuna – both held […]
Land rights activist shot dead in Brazilian Amazon hospital
Five armed men have burst into a small-town hospital in the Brazilian Amazon, surrounded security guards and shot dead a prominent land rights activist, in the latest deadly attack on land campaigners. Waldomiro Costa Pereira, an activist with the Landless Workers Movement (MST) was killed on Monday when gunmen stormed the hospital in Parauapebas in […]
Six défenseurs du droit à la terre libérés (Sierra Léon)
Des organisations de la société civile demandent de mettre fin à l’accaparement des terres par la société agroindustrielle Socfin et de protéger les droits des communautés. La société civile a mobilisé pour obtenir la libération des 6 leaders de MALOA. Ce 16 juin 2016, un groupe d’organisations de la société civile sierra leonaise, a organisé […]
