Africa Program

Since early 1999, the Environmental Law Institute has launched and developed its Africa Program to promote environmental law, policy, and management in Africa. Partnering with African NGOs and governments, ELI assists in drafting and advancing pragmatic and effective environmental laws and policies, analyzes and identifies options to improve the implementation of existing environmental law, and builds the capacity of local institutions and citizens in Africa to carry out these tasks independently. In addition to strengthening environmental laws, ELI and its partners empower civil society to address environmental needs by undertaking projects in rule of law, transparency, public participation, and access to justice.

Currently, ELI is working with in-country partners on: seminars to build capacity of East African judges to hear environmental cases and lawyers to advocate effectively for the environment; an awareness-raising campaign advancing opportunities for a regional initiative on environmental governance in Africa; a study on best practices and lessons learned in developing and implementing laws and policies governing access to genetic resources and benefit sharing; and research on how to protect biodiversity in Islamic countries in Africa, drawing upon provisions of the Shariah. ELI also has an expanding program for African Visiting Scholars. Visit the Africa Program Web site for more information.

Read HERE for news about ELI's recent work in Liberia's Postwar Recovery.

Related Publications

• Assessment of the Legal, Scientific, and Institutional Frameworks for Biodiversity Protection in the Republic of Liberia (2007)
• African Perspectives on Genetic Resources: A Handbook on Laws, Policies, and Institutions (2003)
• Harnessing Consumer Power: Using Certification Systems to Promote Good Governance (2003)
• Role of public participation and access to information in the management of transboundary watercourses” (chapter published in International Waters in Southern Africa, edited by Nikiyasu Nakayama) (2003)
• African Environmental Governance: Opportunities at the Regional, Subregional, and National Levels” (part of a chapter in a book on African Environmental Law and Policy published by Earthscan in 2001)
• Constitutional Environmental Law: Giving Force to Fundamental Principles In Africa (2000)
• The Aarhus Convention as a Model for Advancing Citizen’s Rights in Africa (2000)
• Regional Opportunities for Improving Environmental Governance Through Access to Information, Public Participation, and Access to Justice (2000)
• Les Opportunites Regionales D’Amelioration de la Gestion des Affaires Publiques en Matiere D’Environnment Grace a L’Acces a L’Information a la Participation du Public et a L’Acces a la Justice (2000)
• "Constitutional rights key to environmental protection in Africa" (The Environmental Forum, January/February 2000)
• "Africa projects expand ELI’s international scope" (The Environmental Forum, September/October 1999)
• Liability For Environmental Damage (1995)
• Practical Approaches to Implementing Environmental Laws: Getting from Here to There (1993)
• Information Access Mechanisms: Collecting and Disseminating the Information Necessary for Environmental Protection (1993)
• The Role of the Citizen in Environmental Enforcement (1992)
• Public Participation in Environmental Regulation (1991)
• Setting Standards: The "Best Available Technology" Option (1991)
• Environmental Impact Assessment: Integrating Environmental Protection and Development Planning (1991)

Related Workshops, Roundtables and Study Tours

• Judicial Symposium on Environmental Law, Policy, and Access To Justice — Jinja, Uganda (2001)
• Conservation in Conflict: Strategies for Mitigating the Impacts of Armed Conflict on the African Environment — Victoria Falls, Zimbabwe (2001)
• Protecting Community Forests Workshop — Mbalmayo, Cameroon (2001)
• Workshop on Alternative Dispute Resolution — Dakar, Senegal (2000)
• East African Workshop on Access to Environmental Justice — Jinja, Uganda (2000)
• Study Tour for Nigerian Attorneys: “Environmental Law, Enforcement and the Petroleum Industry” — Washington, DC & New York, NY (2000)
• “Colloquium on Environmental Law and Policy in the United States and Africa,” — Dakar, Senegal (2000)
• Constitutional Environmental Law In Africa (ELI Associates Seminar) — Washington, DC (1999)
• A Forum: “The Environment: South-Africa’s Defining Issue in the Post Apartheid Era” — Washington, DC (1994)