On December 10, 2023, in New York, the UN Human Rights Prize will be awarded to the Global Coalition of Civil Society, Indigenous Peoples, Social Movements, and Local Communities for the Universal Recognition of the Human Right to a Clean, Healthy, and Sustainable Environment (the Global Coalition).

The Environmental Law Institute (ELI) has played an important role in the work of the Global Coalition. For more information, check out Kristine Perry’s blog. As I rotate off the ELI Board after my two-term limit comes to a close, I am inspired yet again by the important international work that ELI supports to advance the Rule of Law in environmental protection.

The Human Rights Prize is a prestigious achievement – it is awarded once every five years, to several recipients at a time, and past awardees include Martin Luther King, Jr., Nelson and Winnie Mandela, and Malala Yousafzai. However, 2023 marks the first time a global coalition will receive the award.

Environmental law has environmental justice – stemming from the Civil Rights Movement of the 1960s – as part of its foundation. As we approach the season of Thanksgiving, it is a good time to be grateful for ELI and others who are advancing a clean, healthy, and sustainable environment for all. Congratulations ELI and to the Global Coalition for your fine work in this area. It has been an honor and my privilege to serve on the ELI Board.

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