November 14-15, 2020
Negotiating Institutional Transformation: International and Comparative Approaches to Justice in Environmental Protection
Supported by The Graciela Chichilnisky Environmental Fund
in Honor of Natasha Chichilnisky-Heal
Justice Benjamin and Professor Brownell, each of who has deep experience in environmental and human rights NGOs, will discuss how NGOs function in the contentious arena of human rights and the environment. NGOs are an expression of civil society and play an institutional role in the formal consideration of human rights norms. However, because they are outside of the formal structure of politics, they often represent a threat to state hegemony. NGOs remain subject to the discipline of state power, even as they challenge its authority. This tension creates a variety of challenges but also opportunities for concerted action and resistance.
Presenter

Justice Antonio Herman Benjamin
Justice
National High Court of Brazil (STJ)
Presenter

Alfred Brownell
Executive Director, Green Advocates; Tom & Andi Bernstein Visiting Human Rights Fellow Yale Law School
Discussant

Jim Silk
Binger Clinical Professor of Human Rights; Director, Allard K. Lowenstein International Human Rights Clinic; and Director, Orville H. Schell, Jr. Center for International Human Rights
Discussant

Tim Hirschel-Burns
Tim Hirschel-Burns
J.D. Candidate, Yale Law School