The fourth ASEAN Chief Justices’ Roundtable on the role of the judiciary in environmental protection opened on December 13th in Hanoi by the Supreme People’s Court of Vietnam with the support of the Asian Development Bank (ADB).

The ASEAN Judiciaries Working Group on Environment met here today for the first time to explore ways to deepen cooperation on the region’s environmental problems in advance of the fourth ASEAN Chief Justices’ Roundtable on Environment taking place in Ha Noi in November.

The OGC’s Environmental Justice Program under its Law, Justice and Development (LJD) program is in line with ADB’s long-term strategic framework1 which aims to (i) strengthen environmental regulatory frameworks and enforcement capacities of public institutions, recognizing good governance and capacity development as drivers of change; and (ii) promote regional cooperation. The program is also in line with ADB’s strategy for operational work on the environment from 2013 to 2020,2 which identifies environmental governance and natural capital as two of ADB’s four operational directions to promote transition to green growth.

The Third South Asian Judicial Roundtable on Environmental Justice took place in Colombo under the theme of Environmental Justice for Sustainable Green Development.

A workshop on environmental adjudication for the judiciary of Bhutan, recommended awareness programmes, need to include climate change in the education curriculum, strengthening coordination among stakeholders, and capacity building to combat climate change in the country.

Established in October 1991, SAARCLAW is a regional apex body of the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC). It is composed of judges, lawyers, law academics, and other stakeholders in South Asia. It has an Honorary Secretary-General with an Executive Council and country chapters. According to its Charter, SAARCLAW was formed for the purposes of disseminating information, promoting cooperation and understanding of the legal developments in the region, and developing law as an instrument of social change.

Viet Nam is a country rich in biodiversity, but is also facing rapid economic growth, with a resultant increase in environmental threats. Viet Nam has already experienced a number of significant environmental problems, the most devastating often being the result of corporate—rather than specific individual—activity.

For two days, from 8.30 a.m. to 6 p.m. ASEAN Chief Justices or their representatives had fruitful discussions on environmental issues with special reference to their respective Judiciaries.

It was my second attendance after the Melaka Roundtable. The Bangkok meeting was a success. Participations were excellent. Personally I learned quite a lot after hearing the experiences of the judiciaries in the other ASEAN countries. 

Climate change is coming and it’s coming to a court near you. Climate litigation in Asia and the Pacific will grow and it will increasingly emerge as an issue during environmental and other litigation. Awareness of the science will be important for understanding the nature of cases in your docket and for resolving litigation.

On 7 and 8 June 2018, the Asia-Pacific Centre for Environmental Law (APCEL, National University of Singapore) co-hosted a climate change litigation scholarship workshop with Yale Law School.