Human Rights, Sustainable Development & the Law

Through the United Nations, countries and communities have committed to advance seventeen global Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), tackling the most serious social, environmental and economic challenges of our century. Throughout 169 targets under these SDGs, the commitment to realise human rights worldwide is ubiquitous, accompanied by a recognition that law and policy can foster rather than frustrate sustainability. However, significant implementation gaps have emerged, as evidenced in Voluntary National Reports (VNRs) and National Plans (NPs) submitted to the UN by Member States, and the need for progress has become urgent. In times of great fragility, the need to respect and strengthen a rules-based, rights-based international legal order – as represented in Sustainable Development Goals 16 and 17 among others, is particularly pressing. As countries implement new strategies for the SDGs, ongoing challenges on all levels highlight the complexities of making progress to advance the SDGs in law, public policy and practice. New knowledge, analysis and collaborations can help bridge the SDG implementation gap, through law and policy review of human rights instruments highlighted in VNRs, and an informed assessment of recent law and policy reforms, innovative treaties and institutions, and international tribunal awards. Guided by international legal and governance systems, States and stakeholders can scale up efforts to advance the SDGs. Informed dialogue between experts, academics and practitioners is more important than ever, building on global research and analysis to offer opportunities for outstanding learning and impact. The international symposium on Human Rights, Sustainable Development and the Law will be held on July 10, 2026 and is hosted online by the Centre for International Sustainable Development Law (CISDL) and the McGill Centre for Human Rights and Legal Pluralism, in cooperation with other institutes and leading experts from McGill University, the University of Montreal, the University of Cambridge, the London School of Economics, the University of Costa Rica, Yale University, Hamad Bin Khalifa University, the Swiss Italian University, Afe Babalola University, and other distinguished academic partners, together with renowned experts who serve as United Nations Human Rights Rapporteurs, the International Law Association (ILA), the International Inter- Tribal Trade & Investment Organization (IITIO), (NZLA), the McGill Journal of Sustainable Development Law (MJSDL), the Nigerian Journal of Sustainable Development Law and Policy (JSDLP), the Cambridge International Law Journal (CILJ), Canada's Sustainable Development Solutions Network (SDSN), and other partners. Biennial Global Online Symposium, HE Judge CG Weeramantry International Justice Awards & Hon Justice CD Gonthier Memorial Lectures Friday, 10 July 2026 Symposium Programme & More Information: Please see here (live document reflecting latest updates) 08:00 – 08:30 (Montreal) | 13:00 – 13:30 (Cambridge) Online Moderation & Technical Checks Online Masters of Ceremony: Dr. Tejas Rao (CISDL / Univ Cambridge) & Adv. Moushita Dutta (McGill Univ) 08:30– 09:15 (Montreal) | 13:30 – 14:15 (Cambridge) Opening Plenary Chairs: Prof. Marie-Claire Cordonier Segger WIJA (CISDL / Univ Cambridge) & Prof. Nandini Ramanujan (McGill Centre for Human Rights & Legal Pluralism / McGill Univ) Welcomes: Dr. Ashfaq Khalfan (CISDL / Global School of Sustainability GSoS London School of Economics LSE); Hon. Elizabeth Maruma Mrema WIJA (UNEP); Dr. Ilaria Bottigliero* (IDLO); Prof. Damilola S. Olawuyi (International Law Association ILA / UNESCO Chair, Hamad bin Khalifa Univ HBKU); Prof. Emmanuella Doussis (ILA-Hellenic / UNESCO Chair, Univ Athens); Prof. Wayne Garnons-Williams (CISDL / International Inter-Tribal Trade & Investment Organization IITIO / National Sixties Scoop Healing Foundation of Canada NSSHFC) 09:15 – 10:00 (Montreal) | 14:15 – 15:00 (Cambridge) Human Rights in the Global Climate Emergency Opening Remarks: Dr. Volker Turk* (UN High Commissioner for Human Rights) High-level Judges Plenary: Hon. Judge Anja Seibert-Fohr (European Court of Human Rights); Hon. Judge Patricia Perez-Goldberg (Inter-American Court of Human Rights); Hon. Judge Duncan Gaswaga (African Court of Human & Peoples Rights) Online Moderators: Adv. Muskaan Singh (CISDL / DemEd Global) & Adv. Yuxi Shen (CISDL / Chinese Univ Hong Kong) 10:00 – 11:15 (Montreal) | 15:00 – 16:15 (Cambridge) Global Experts Plenary I Linking Human Rights & Climate Change through International Law (SDGs 1, 5, 10 & 13) Chairs: Adv. Ayman Cherkaoui (CISDL / IUCN World Comm Enviro Law / Hassan II Intl Enviro Training Centre) & Dr. Ashfaq Khalfan (CISDL / GSoS LSE) Opening Keynotes: Prof. Sumudu Atapattu (CISDL / Univ Wisconsin) Expert Plenary Speakers: Hon. Justice Prof. Marcel Szabo WIJA (CISDL / Constitutional Court of Hungary / Pázmány Péter Catholic Univ); Prof. Payam Akhavan (Massey College / Univ Toronto); Prof. Tenia Kyriazi (CISDL / ILA-UAE / Middlesex Univ Dubai); Prof. David Boyd (Univ British Columbia / former UN Special Rapporteur on Enviro & Human Rights) Closing Keynote: Prof. Elisa Morgera (UN Special Rapporteur on Climate Change & Human Rights / Durham Univ) Intervenors: Adv. Alexander Ramdass (CISDL / Caribbean Bar); Adv. Emily Morison* (CISDL) & Adv. Maria Jose Alarcon (CISDL / Duke Univ) Online Moderators: Adv. Railla Puno (CISDL CLGI); Adv. Zoya Zahed (Univ Cambridge) 11:15 – 12:30 (Montreal) | 16:15 – 17:30 (Cambridge) Global Experts Plenary II Respecting Human Rights in Business, Trade & Investment for Sustainable Natural Resources Management (SDGs 2, 6, 7 & 8) Chairs: Prof. Ilaria Espa (CISDL / USI / WTI); Prof. Markus Gehring (CISDL / Univ Cambridge); Dr. Fabiano de Andrade Correa (CISDL / World Bank) Opening Keynote: Prof. Damilola S. Olawuyi WIJA (CISDL / HBKU / ILA) Speakers: Prof. Thomas Cottier (WTI / Univ Bern); Prof. Alessandra Lehmen (CISDL / UCS / Brazilian Bar Association – Rio Grande do Sul); Prof. Ted Gleason (CISDL / Grenoble School of Management); Prof. Diane Desierto (CISDL / Notre Dame Univ); Prof. Dominic Coppens (Maastricht Univ / Forum on Trade, Environment, & the SDGs TESS) Closing Keynote: Prof. James Bacchus WIJA (former WTO Appellate Body / Univ Central Floria) Intervenors: Dr. Kennedy Mbeva (Univ Cambridge) & Adv. Pierre Leturcq (Green Trade Network) Online Moderators: Dr. Natalia Pushkareva (CISDL); Dr. Jellie Molino (CISDL CLGI) 12:30 – 13:00 (Montreal) | 17:30 – 18:00 (Cambridge) Break (Break for Lunch / Tea & Coffee / Health) 13:00 – 14:10 (Montreal) | 18:00 – 19:10 (Cambridge) Hon. Justice Charles D Gonthier Memorial Lectures & International Justice Awards Chairs: Hon. Elizabeth Maruma Mrema WIJA (UNEP) & Prof. Marie-Claire Cordonier Segger WIJA (CISDL / Univ Cambridge) Opening: Hon. Judge Sebastien Grammond (Federal Court of Canada) & Dean of Law Prof. Tina Piper (McGill Univ) Opening Remarks: Hon. Justice Mahmud Jamal (Supreme Court of Canada) Special Remarks: Her Excellency the Right Honourable Louise Arbour, C.C., C.M.M., C.O.M., G.O.Q., C.D. (Governor General of Canada) (by video address) Hon. Justice Charles D Gonthier Lecture(s): HE Judge Prof. Dire Tladi (International Court of Justice) Announcement of HE Justice CG Weeramantry International Justice Awards & the HE Judge CG and Rosemary Weeramantry International Law and Sustainable Development Global Fellowship Memorial Remarks: Prof. Em. Nico Schrijver WIJA (CISDL / Leiden Univ) and Adv. Neshan Gunasekera WIJA (CISDL / Raoul Wallenberg Institute / World Future Council) The 2026 Laureates & Global Fellow will be announced by: Prof. Damilola S. Olawuyi WIJA (CISDL / HBKU / ILA) & Prof. Judge Marcel Szabó WIJA (Constitutional Court of Hungary / Pázmány Péter Catholic Univ (Budapest)) Closing Remarks: Prof. Adv. Romesh Weeramantry (CISDL / Centre for International Law, National Univ Singapore / Clifford Chance); Adv. Pierre Gonthier (CISDL) Online Masters of Ceremony: Dr. Tejas Rao (CISDL / Univ Cambridge), Adv. Carter Cheng (CISDL / Univ Cambridge) & Adv. Moushita Dutta (McGill Univ) 14:15 – 15:30 (Montreal) | 19:15 – 20:30 (Cambridge) Global Experts Plenary III Realising Indigenous Rights, Intergenerational Justice & Rights of Nature (SDGs 14, 15, 16 & cross-cutting) Chairs: Prof. Maya Prabhu (CISDL / Yale Univ), Prof. Jorge Cabrera (CISDL / Univ Costa Rica) & Adv. Neshan Gunasekera (CISDL / World Future Council) Opening Keynote: Rt Hon. Ralph Regenvanu (Minister for Climate Change Adaptation, Energy, Environment, Meteorology, Geo-Hazards and Disaster Management, Vanuatu) Speakers: Dr. Pamela Towela-Sambo (CISDL / Univ Zambia / Human Rights Comm Zambia); Adv. Nina Pindham (Cornerstone Climate / UK ELA), Dr. Daniel Ruiz de Garibay (CISDL BLGI / Asia Pacific Univ Tech & Innovation); Dr. Odeeth Lara Morales (CISDL VoFG), Adv. Emily Julier (Hogan Lovells) Closing Keynote: Prof. Wayne Garnons-Williams (CISDL /IITIO / NSSHFC) Intervenors: Adv. Lara Douvartzidis (CISDL); Ela Martinez (CISDL VoFG) Online Moderators: Adv. Muskaan Singh (CISDL); Adv. Yasmeen Elsayed* (CISDL) 15:35 – 16:30 (Montreal) | 20:35 – 21:30 (Cambridge) Closing International Roundtable Rights-Based Approaches to Sustainable Development: Law, Policy & Future Directions Chairs: Prof. Marie-Claire Cordonier Segger WIJA (CISDL / Univ Cambridge) & Prof. Nandini Ramanujan (McGill Centre for Human Rights & Legal Pluralism / McGill Univ) Interactive Dialogue among Plenary Chairs: Dr. Ashfaq Khalfan (CISDL / GSoS LSE); Adv. Ayman Cherkaoui (CISDL / IUCN World Commission on Environmental Law / Hassan II International Environmental Training Center); Prof. Markus Gehring (CISDL / Univ Cambridge); Prof. Ilaria Espa (CISDL /(Università della Svizzera italiana); Prof. Maya Prabhu (CISDL / Yale Univ); Prof. Jorge Cabrera (CISDL / Univ Costa Rica) & Dr. Pamela Towela-Sambo (CISDL / Univ Zambia / Human Rights Comm Zambia) Closing Remarks: Dr. Oonagh Fitzgerald (ILA-Canada / Univ Ottawa); Prof. Richard Janda* (CISDL / McGill Univ); Prof. Konstantia Koutouki (CISDL / Univ Montreal) Closing & Thanks: Harriet Crossfield (MJSDL), Adv. Randa Omar (Inter-Gentes) & Dr. Eghosa Ekhator (JSDLP) Online Masters of Ceremony: Dr. Tejas Rao (CISDL / Univ Cambridge) & Adv. Moushita Dutta (McGill Univ) The mid-conference high level plenary features the biennial Hon Justice CD Gonthier Memorial Lectures of 2026, which after brief opening remarks by a representative of the Supreme Court of Canada, are given by eminent international leaders in the field of international human rights law and sustainable development, and celebrates the 2026 HE Judge CG Weeramantry International Justice Awards (WIJA) and the 2026 Global Fellowship. Keynote speakers and interactive online dialogue will focus on three key themes. As identified by the UN Human Rights Commission, the UN Rapporteurs on Human Rights, and the European, Inter-American and African Courts on Human Rights and other international treaties, these are essential for law and policy measures to advance the SDGs: The role of law and governance in promoting rights-based solutions which can support global efforts to implement States legal obligations in respect of climate change, responding to the climate emergency, and ensuring human rights are respected and realized in climate mitigation, adaptation and finance, including efforts to address loss and damage; The contributions of legal and governance systems to incentivizing the realization of human rights in more sustainable business, including trade, investment and financial flows; The importance of transparent, rules-based frameworks in aligning governance and the efforts of all stakeholders to restoring collective Indigenous rights, intergenerational justice and the rights of nature. This global online symposium convenes national and international experts and leaders together with emerging scholars, students and practitioners, to explore new global law and governance trends, challenges and insights worldwide, and to share innovative solutions and lessons in designing legal and policy measures to achieve the SDGs.