Inaugural Oceania Environmental Law Conference

Inaugural Oceania Environmental Law Conference

Advancing Environmental Law in the Pacific: Towards 2030 and

Beyond

In conjunction with the 2nd World Environmental Law Congress

(Oceania Environmental Law Congress)

Wednesday, 14th July - Friday, 16 July, 2021

Virtual Platform - Whova Platform

https://whova.com/web/welc_202107

(Register and Download the App here)

PROGRAMME

Wednesday, 14th July 2021

9:30 - 10:00 Opening and Welcoming Remarks

Chair: Mrs Maria-Goreti Muavesi (Senior Environmental Legal Officer,

IUCN, Fiji/Member, Steering Committee, IUCN WCEL)

Prayer and Devotion: Reverend Moses O’Conner (Lead Pastor, Inner City

Tabernacle & General Presbyter for English speaking churches in the Central

Easter Division, AOG, Fiji)

Welcoming Remarks: Mr Mason Smith (Regional Director, IUCN, Fiji)

Introduction of Conference: Ms Maria-Goreti Muavesi (Senior

Environmental Legal Officer, IUCN, Fiji/Member, Steering Committee,

IUCN WCEL)

10:00 - 11:00 Keynote Opening Address

Chair: Mrs Akanisi N. Vakawaletabua (Consultant, Lecturer, University of

the South Pacific)

Speakers:

● Dr Grethel Aguilar (Deputy Director General, Regional and Out

Posted Offices, IUCN)

● Honourable Mahendra Reddy, Minister for Waterways and

Environment, Fiji

● Mr Arnold Kreilhuber (Acting Director, Law Division, UNEP)

● Mr Tony Greubel (Chargé d’Affaires, United States Embassy in Fiji)

● Justice Antonio Benjamin (Chair, IUCN World Commission for

Environmental Law)

Rapporteur: Ms Varea Romanu (Climate Change Officer, IUCN, Fiji)

11:00 - 13:00 High-Level Roundtable Dialogue

Environmental Law Needs in the Pacific: A Regional Perspective

Chair: Ms Kiji Vukikomoala (Executive Director, Fiji Environmental Law

Association)

Speakers:

● Dr Georgina Lloyd (Regional Coordinator, Environmental Law and

Governance, UNEP)

● Mr Kosi Latu (Director General, Secretariat of the Pacific Regional

Environment Programme (SPREP))

● Honourable Aiyaz Sayed Khaiyum (Attorney General and Minister

for Economy, Civil Service, and Communications and Climate

Change, Fiji)

● Dr Christina Voigt (Professor, University of Oslo; Chair, WCEL

Climate Specialist Group)

● Professor Klaus Bosselmann (Director, New Zealand Centre for

Environmental Law)

● Ms Rosamond Bing (CEO, Ministry of Lands and Natural Resources,

Tonga)

● Mr Alifereti Tawake (Chair of the Coordinating Council of Locally

Managed Marine Areas)

● Professor Denise Antolini (Professor of Law, William S Richardson

School of Law, University of Hawaii at Manoa & Member of WCEL

Steering Committee)

● Mr Peter Cochrane (Regional Councillor, Oceania, IUCN)

Rapporteur: Ratu Filimone Tuivanualevu (Senior Climate Change

Adaptation Officer, Climate Change and International Corporation Division,

Ministry of Economy, Fiji)

13:00 - 14:00 Lunch

13:30 – 14:00 Special Event: Introduction of the UNEP Curriculum and

Bench Book Environmental Lawyers and Judges

Chair: Ms Kiji Vukikomoala (Executive Director, Fiji Environmental Law

Association)

Speaker - Georgina Lloyd (Regional Coordinator, Environmental Law

Governance, UNEP)

Rapporteur: Ms Pauline Joy Macalikutabua (Law Graduate, University of the

South Pacific, Fiji)

14:00 - 15:30 Session 1 Plenary: Regional Dispute Resolution Mechanisms for

Environmental and Climate Change Disputes in the Pacific - Facilitated

Dialogue of Judges, Lawyers, Practitioners and Regional Actors

Chair: Ms Briony Eales (Judicial Capacity Building Team Leader:

Environmental and Climate Change Law, Law and Policy Reform

Programme, Office of the General Counsel, ADB)

Speakers:

● Mr Matthew Baird (Director, Asian Research Institute for

Environmental Law)

● Justice Ambeng Kandakasi (Deputy Chief Justice, National and

Supreme Court of Papua New Guinea)

● President Fleur Kingham (President, Land Court of Queensland)

Rapporteur: Mr Gregorio Rafael Bueta (Legal and Policy Specialist, Law and

Policy Reform Programme, Office of the General Counsel, ADB)

15:30 - 17:30 Session 2 (Closed Session): Oceania Environment Networking, Lessons

Learning and Future Visions Space (Meeting Mode)

Chair: Ms Fleur Ramsay (Special Counsel, International Program,

Environmental Defenders Office, Australia)

Session Programme:

1. Introductions of Attendees (30 minutes)

2. Thematic Discussions (1 hour)

● Climate Crisis - Mr Julian Aguon (Blue Ocean Law) & Mr Joseph

Sikulu (350.Org)

● Great Ocean - depleting fish stocks - Dr Transform Aqorau

(Consultant) & Ms Aliti Vunisea (Women in Fisheries Network

(WiFN))

● The Role of Free, Prior and Informed Consent in Oceania - Mr Peter

Bosip (Centre for Environmental Law and Community Rights

(CELCOR)) Inc & Ms Alisi Rabukawaqa (Bua Urban Youth Network

(BUYN))

● Role of Custom in Conservation and Environmental Law - Ms Vehia

Wheeler & Dr Herve Lallement (Sustainable Oceania Solutions)

3. Future Vision (30 minutes)

● Funding and small organisations – what are the opportunities for

collaboration or equitable solutions to inequitable funding? - Ms Kiji

Vukikomoala (Fiji Environmental Law Association)

● Future environmental laws – what would Pasifika environmental laws

look like if we started from scratch? - Dr Bal Kama (Environmental

Defenders Office Australia)

Rapporteur: Ms Sheryl Lee Strangio (Legal Administrator, Environmental

Defenders Office, Australia)

Close of Day 1 of Conference.

Thursday, 15th July 2021

9:00 - 10:00 Setting the Scene: The Environmental Rule of Law

Chair: Mrs Maria-Goreti Muavesi (Senior Environmental Legal Officer,

IUCN, Fiji/Member, Steering Committee, IUCN WCEL)

Speaker:

● IUCN World Declaration on the Environmental Rule of Law - Justice

Antonio Herman Benjamin (Chair, IUCN World Commission for

Environmental Law)

● The Response of Environmental Law to Environmental Harm – Mr

Clark Peteru (Legal Advisor, SPREP, Samoa)

Rapporteur: Mr Filimoni Yaya (Geo-spatial Information System Officer,

IUCN, Fiji)

10:00 - 11:30 Session 1 Plenary: Understanding the Challenges of the Implementation

and Enforcement of the Environmental Rule of Law in the Pacific

Chair: Mr. Paul van Nimwegen (PA Programme Coordinator, IUCN, Fiji)

Speakers:

● Mr. Joshua Wycliffe (Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Environment

Fiji)

● Ms Rebecca Schuster (Assistant Attorney General of Palau, Palau)

● Ms Nenenteiti Teariki-Ruatu (Director, Environment and

Conservation Division, Kiribati)

● Ms Shirley Malielegaoi (Manager Legal, Ministry of Natural

Resources and Environment, Samoa)

Rapporteur: Ms Marian Gauna (Marine Programme Officer, IUCN, Fiji)

11:30 – 12:00 Break

12:00 – 13:30 Session 2 Plenary: Understanding the Challenges of the Implementation

and Enforcement of the Environmental Rule of Law in the Pacific

Chair: Mr. Etika Rupeni Qica (Project Manager, KIWA Project, IUCN, Fiji)

Speakers:

● Dr Eselealofa Apinelu (Attorney General of Tuvalu)

● Mr. Joe Horokou (Director of Environment and Conservation

Division of Solomon Islands Government, Solomon Islands)

● Promoting the rule of environmental law in Tonga, Challenges and

Opportunities - Ms. Rose Kautoke (Senior Crown Counsel, Office of

the Attorney General, Tonga)

● Ms. Donna Kalfatak, (Director, Department for Environmental

Protection and Conservation, Vanuatu)

Rapporteur: Mr Rocky Guzman (Deputy Director, Asian Research Institute

for Environmental Law)

13:30 – 14:30 Lunch

14:30 – 15:30 Session 3 Breakout Session: Potential Opportunities and Solutions:

The Challenges of the Environmental Rule of Law in the Pacific

● Group 1

Chair: Ms Kiji Vukikomoala (Executive Director, Fiji Environmental

Law Association)

Rapporteur: Mr Filimoni Yaya (Geo-spatial Information System

Officer, IUCN, Fiji)

● Group 2

Chair: Mr Clark Peteru (Legal Advisor, SPREP)

Rapporteur: Ms Vani Tosokiwai (Law Student, University of the

South Pacific, Fiji)

● Group 3

Chair: Ms Alisi Rabukawaqa (Project Liaison Officer, IUCN, Fiji)

Rapporteur: Ms Marian Gauna (Marine Programme Officer, IUCN,

Fiji)

● Group 4

Chair: Mr BJ Kim (International Programme Manager,

Environmental Defenders Office, Australia)

Rapporteur: Ms Sheryl Lee Strangio (Legal Administrator,

Environmental Defenders Office, Australia)

Hubs:

Solomon Islands

Chair: Ms Senoveva Mauli (Chair, Executive Committee, Solomon

Islands Environmental Law Association)

Rapporteur : Ms Kenya Kenieroa (Coordinator, Solomon Islands

Environmental Law Association)

Vanuatu

Chair: Mr Colin Leo (Chair, Vanuatu Environmental Law

Association)

Rapporteur: Mr Vatumaraga Molisa (Project Liaison Officer, IUCN,

Vanuatu)

15:30 – 16.30 Session 4 Plenary: Presentations of Outcomes

Chair: Mr Hans Wendt (Marine Programme Coordinator, IUCN, Fiji)

Speakers:

● Ms Kiji Vukikomoala (Executive Director, Fiji Environmental Law

Association)

● Mr Clark Peteru (Legal Advisor, SPREP)

● Ms Alisi Rabukawaqa (Project Liaison Officer, IUCN, Fiji)

● Mr BJ Kim (International Programme Manager, Environmental

Defenders Office, Australia)

● Ms Senoveva Mauli (Chair, Executive Committee, Solomon Islands

Environmental Law Association)

● Mr Vatumaraga Molisa (Project Liaison Officer, IUCN, Vanuatu)

Rapporteur: Ms Pauline Joy Macalikutabua (Law Graduate, Fiji)

16:30 – 17:00 Special Event: Pacific Launch of the ADB Report Series on

Climate Change

Chair: Ms Briony Eales (Judicial Capacity Building Team Leader:

Environmental and Climate Change Law, Law and Policy Reform

Programme, Office of the General Counsel, ADB)

Speakers -

● Gregorio Rafael Bueta (Judicial Capacity Building and Knowledge

Management Expert (Consultant))

● Maria Cecilia T. Sicangco (Senior Legal Officer for Law and Policy

Reform, Asian Development Bank)

Rapporteur: Ms Uraia Makulau (Legal Consultant, IUCN, Fiji)

Close of Day 2 of Conference

Friday, 16th July 2021

9:00 - 10:30 Session 1 Plenary: Law, Custom and Conservation

Chair: Ms Fleur Ramsay (Special Counsel, International Program,

Environmental Defenders Office, Australia)

Speakers:

● Harnessing traditional knowledge and systems in Fiji and the

Pacific – Mr Atu Siwatibau (Partner, Siwatibau & Sloan, Fiji)

● Can we strengthen the effectiveness of ra'ui (traditional MPAs)

while maintaining their mana (power)? A Cook Islands case study

- Ms Jacquelene Evans (Director, Pacific Environmental

Consultants Ltd, Cook Islands)

● Rights of the river, Place to eat – Mr Emmanuel Peni

(Coordinator, Project Sepik, Papua New Guinea)

Rapporteur: Ms Sheryl Lee Strangio (Legal Administrator, Environmental

Defenders Office, Australia)

10:30 – 11:00 Morning Tea

11:00 – 12:30 Session 2 Plenary: Environment and Judges

Co - Chairs:

● Justice Antonio Benjamin (Chair, IUCN World Commission for

Environmental Law, Brazil)

● Justice Kamal Kumar (Acting Chief Justice, Fiji)

Speakers:

● Justice Michael D. Wilson (Associate Justice, Supreme Court of

Hawai’i Hawai’i)

● Ms Briony Eales (Judicial Capacity Building Team Leader:

Environmental and Climate Change Law, Law and Policy Reform

Programme, Office of the General Counsel, ADB)

● Justice Ambeng Kandakasi (Deputy Chief Justice, National and

Supreme Court of Papua New Guinea, Papua New Guinea)

● Justice Brian Preston (Chief Judge, Land and Environment Court

of New South Wales, Australia)

Rapporteur: Ms Kristine Joy Argallon (Lecturer, School of Law,

University of Cebu, Philippines)

12:30 – 13:30 Session 3 Plenary: The Nexus of Climate and Oceans

Chair: Mrs Maria-Goreti Muavesi (Senior Environmental Legal Officer,

IUCN, Fiji)

Speakers:

● Ocean Pathway and NDCs: The Paris Agreement and beyond -

Nilufer Oral (Director, Centre for International Law (CIL),

National University of Singapore, Singapore)

● The BBNJ instrument and holistic Ocean management:

Challenges and opportunities for the Pacific - Mr Clement

Mulalap (Legal Adviser for the Permanent Mission of the

Federated States of Micronesia to the United Nations, FSM)

● A Global Agreement on Plastics for the Health of the Ocean and

Climate Change Mitigation in the Pacific Islands - Ms Patricia

Parkinson (ELO Consultancy, Fiji).

Rapporteur: Mr Semisi Seruitanoa (Membership Officer, IUCN, Fiji)

13:30 – 14:30 Lunch

14:30 – 15:30 Session 4: Sustainable Development: the role of environmental laws in

regulating development activities

Chair: Professor Rose-Liza Eisma-Osorio (Professor, School of Law,

University of Cebu, Philippines/Member, IUCN WCEL Steering

Committee)

Speakers:

● Legislative trends in the effective regulation of fisheries in the

Pacific Islands region - Mr Pio Manoa (Legal Counsel, Pacific

Islands Forum Fisheries Agency)

● Deep Sea Minerals Management in the Pacific Islands Region -

Mr. Akuila Tawake (Deputy Director, Georesources and Energy

Programme, SPC)

● Legal issues relating to controlling and managing development

activities and the role of law in advancing regulatory frameworks

to contribute towards the global sustainable development goals -

Mr Gregory Barbara (Environment Planning and Policy Officer,

SPREP)

● Waste Legislations in Small Island Developing States - Mr.

Anthony Talouli (Acting Director Waste & Pollution Programme;

Pollution Advisor, SPREP)

● National Law for the Implementation of the Montreal Protocol –

Lessons Learned from HCFC phase-out and ways forward for

HFC phase-down - Mr Shaofeng Hu, (Senior Montreal Protocol

Regional Coordinator, OzonAction, Law Division, UNEP Asia Pacific)

Rapporteur : Ms Kristine Joy Argallon (Lecturer, School of Law, University

of Cebu, Philippines)

15:30 – 15:45 Afternoon Tea

15:45 – 16:45 Session 5: The role of lawyers in advancing the Environmental Rule of

Law in the Pacific

Chair: Mr Nicholas Barnes (Assistant General Counsel, Natural Waters of

Viti Limited, Fiji)

Speakers:

● Considering the rights of local communities through an

intersectional lens – Dr Sangeeta Mangubhai (Director, WCS Fiji

Country Program)

● The Challenges of Environmental Law Practice in Fiji – Mr

James Sloan (Partner, Siwatibau & Sloan)

● Enforcement of constitutional visions for environmental

protection - Justice Dr Vergil Narokobi (Justice of the National

and Supreme Court of Papua New Guinea, Papua New Guinea)

● Pacific Constitutionalism - Dr Bal Kama (Environmental Defenders

Office Australia)

● Mr William Wylie Clark (President of the Fiji Law Society)

Rapporteur: Ms Miriam Bhurra (Geo-spatial Information System Officer,

IUCN, Fiji)

16:45 – 17:30 Conference Closing

Chair: Mrs Maria-Goreti Muavesi (Senior Environmental Legal Officer,

IUCN, Fiji)

Overview of the Conference: Mr Andrew Foran (Regional Programme

Coordinator & Coordinator of Pacific Centre for Environmental

Governance, IUCN, Fiji)

Overview of the Draft Conference Statement: Ms Patricia Parkinson (ELO

Consultancy, Fiji).

Closing Remarks Speakers:

● Mr Mason Smith (Regional Director, IUCN, Fiji)

● Dr Georgina Lloyd (Regional Coordinator, Environmental Law and

Governance, UNEP)

Rapporteur: Mr Uraia Makulau (Legal Consultant, IUCN, Fiji)

6:00pm Closing cocktails in Solomon Islands and Vanuatu.