Asia-Pacific Environmental Experts Convene in Cebu to Lay the Foundation for Addressing the Region’s Environmental Challenges

The Asia-Pacific region is approaching a critical juncture in protecting its environment. The region will miss 88% of its environment-related Sustainable Development Goals by 2030, and the United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific (ESCAP) says it needs to advance synergies to achieve better outcomes while optimising the use of limited resources.

Building legal capacity for Asia-Pacific policymakers

In light of this development, the Regional Alliance of Environmental Law Clinics and Legal Aid Centres in Asia-Pacific held its first-ever regional meeting in Cebu City, Philippines, to build a foundation for stakeholders to unite and address the region’s ongoing environmental challenges. 

Held from 29 to 30 October under the theme “Advancing biodiversity protection under the rule of law: The Transformative Role of Environmental Law and/or Courts in Armed Conflict and Environmental Harm,” the Alliance finalised its governance frameworks, established a joint 2027 workplan, and enhanced cross-border collaboration among university law clinics and legal aid non-profits as a way to strengthen legal aid and environmental justice across the region.

The meeting featured prominent legal luminaries as keynote speakers: Adolfo Azcuna, Chancellor Emeritus of the Philippine Judicial Academy and former Associate Justice of the Supreme Court of the Philippines, and Justice Kim Hyungdu, interim President of the Constitutional Court of Korea. 

Over the two-day event, stakeholders joined plenary and working group sessions aligned with the Alliance’s goal of mobilising university law clinics and legal aid centres to enforce environmental rights and expand legal protection for frontline communities.

The meeting took place at a time when implementing environmental law in the region faces challenges. For example, in Southeast Asia, these include slow processes, limited resources for environmental courts, and a lack of expertise, which hinder fair and swift trials. To address these challenges, the Alliance's first regional meeting aims to give policymakers a platform to share best practices and build capacity to strengthen the effectiveness of environmental law in the region.

ClientEarth’s role in supporting capacity building

ClientEarth supports the Alliance as it provides an avenue for law clinics and civil society to ensure the rule of law actively protects communities on the frontlines of environmental degradation. The meeting aligns with ClientEarth’s ongoing regional initiatives to support environmental law and legal aid centres, and it creates opportunities for ClientEarth to work with more regional partners in the future.

Find out more, read our media release here.