Inter-American Environmental Program

VI. Visiting Scholar Program

To build the local capacity of environmental lawyers and other environmental professionals in the region, ELI offers a Visiting Scholar Program. Environmental professionals from Latin America work at the Institute to improve their understanding of the U.S. legal system and to assist ELI in building new partnerships and carrying out its projects abroad. The following Visiting Scholars from Latin America assisted on ELI projects over the past several years:

Marise Hosomi, a lawyer from Brazil, assisted ELI with its project to improve community involvement in the management of fisheries in the Itaipu Reservoir on the border of Paraguay and Brazil.

Jorge Berrios, a lawyer from Peru, assisted ELI with the preparation and translation of the report on pollution prevention and mining, and conducted research on public participation issues.

Dante Figueroa, a lawyer from Chile, conducted research on the constitutional right to the environment in Latin America, helping to develop and present the human rights and environment workshops in Peru and Mexico, and assisting in developing a hemispheric instrument for public participation through the Organization of American States.

Pedro Sela Lopez, a lawyer from Mexico, worked on ELI’s environmental management training courses for municipalities in Mexico.

Marcos Orellana, a lawyer from Chile worked on ELI’s conservation of private lands initiative and mining program.

Michelle Reyes, a law student from Peru, helped ELI brief the Department of Justice on Chile’s enforcement authorities and institutions.

Inter-American Program Outline

Introduction

1. Land and Biodiversity
2. Advancing An Agenda for Pollution Prevention
3. Capacity-Building Initiatives
4. Promoting Public Participation
5. Information Exchange & Dialogue
6. Visiting Scholar Program
7. Related Publications