Global Online Symposium: Human Rights, Sustainable Development & the Law
The Centre for International Sustainable Development Law (CISDL), in co-sponsorship with the 涩里番 Centre for Human Rights and Legal Pluralism (CHRLP), is pleased to present the international online symposium Human Rights, Sustainable Development & the Law on Friday, July 10, 2026.
As countries work to advance the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), human rights remain central to addressing the social, environmental, and economic challenges of our time. This symposium will bring together leading scholars, jurists, policymakers, practitioners, and students to explore how law and governance can help advance sustainable development, strengthen human rights protections, and address pressing global challenges.
Discussions will focus on key issues at the intersection of human rights, sustainable development, and the law, including climate justice, sustainable business and natural resource governance, Indigenous rights, intergenerational justice, and innovative legal approaches to environmental protection.
The program will feature keynote addresses, expert panels, and interactive dialogue with distinguished international speakers from academia, legal practice, international organizations, and civil society. The event will also include the 2026 Hon. Justice Charles D. Gonthier Memorial Lectures and the presentation of the 2026 H.E. Judge C.G. Weeramantry International Justice Awards.
Date: Friday, July 10, 2026
Time: 8:30 a.m. 鈥� 4:30 p.m. (ET)
Format: Online - Zoom
For registration information, please visit .
CHRLP is pleased to support this important event and encourages members of the CHRLP community and the Faculty of Law to attend.
08:00 鈥� 08:30: Online Moderation & Technical Checks
Online Masters of Ceremony: Adv. Tejas Rao (CISDL / University of Cambridge), Adv. Carter Cheng (CISDL / University of Cambridge) & Adv. Moushita Dutta (涩里番)
08:30鈥� 09:15: Opening Plenary
Chairs: Prof. Marie-Claire Cordonier Segger (CISDL / University of Cambridge) & Prof. Nandini Ramanujam (涩里番 Centre for Human Rights & Legal Pluralism / 涩里番)
Online Masters of Ceremony: Adv. Tejas Rao (CISDL / University of Cambridge), Adv. Carter Cheng (CISDL / University of Cambridge) & Adv. Moushita Dutta (涩里番)
09:15 鈥� 10:00: High-Level Keynote Segment: Human Rights in the Global Climate Emergency
Chairs: Prof. Marie-Claire Cordonier Segger (CISDL / University of Cambridge) & Prof. Nandini Ramanujam (涩里番 Centre for Human Rights & Legal Pluralism / 涩里番)
Online Masters of Ceremony: Adv. Tejas Rao (CISDL / University of Cambridge), Adv. Carter Cheng (CISDL / University of Cambridge) & Adv. Moushita Dutta (涩里番)
10:00 鈥� 11:15: Global Experts Plenary I
Linking Human Rights & Climate Change through International Law (SDGs 1, 5, 10 & 13)
Chairs: Adv. Ayman Cherkaoui (CISDL / IUCN World Commission on Environmental Law / Hassan II International Environmental Training Center) & Dr. Ashfaq Khalfan (CISDL / Sustainability Regulation Observatory, London School of Economics)
Online Moderators: Adv. Railla Puno (CISDL), Dr. Jellie Molino (CISDL/University of Cambridge) & Niklas Todt (University of Cambridge)
11:15 鈥� 12:30: Global Experts Plenary II
Respecting Human Rights in Business, Trade & Investment for Sustainable Natural Resources Management (SDGs 2, 6, 7 & 8)
Chairs: Prof. Markus Gehring (CISDL / University of Cambridge), Prof. Ilaria Espa (CISDL / Universit脿 della Svizzera Italiana / World Trade Institute) & Dr. Fabiano de Andrade Correa (CISDL / World Bank)
12:30 - 13:00 Break
Lunch; Tea and Coffee; Health
13:00 鈥� 14:10: Hon. Justice Charles D Gonthier Memorial Lectures & International Justice Awards
Chairs: Hon. Elizabeth Maruma Mrema (UNEP) & Prof. Marie-Claire Cordonier Segger (CISDL / University of Cambridge)
Online Masters of Ceremony: Adv. Tejas Rao (CISDL / University of Cambridge), Adv. Carter Cheng (CISDL / University of Cambridge) & Adv. Moushita Dutta (涩里番)
14:15 鈥� 15:30: Global Experts Plenary III
Realising Indigenous Rights, Intergenerational Justice & Rights of Nature (SDGs 14, 15, 16 & cross-cutting)
Chairs: Prof. Maya Prabhu (CISDL / Yale University), Prof. Jorge Cabrera (CISDL / University of Costa Rica) & Adv. Neshan Gunasekera (CISDL / Raoul Wallenberg Institute)
Online Moderators: Dr. Daniel de Ruiz Garibay (CISDL / Asia-Pacific University), Dr Odette Lara-Morales (CISDL) & Adv. Lea Weimann (University of Cambridge)
15:35 鈥� 16:30: Closing International Roundtable
Rights-Based Approaches to Sustainable Development: Law, Policy & Future Directions
Chairs: Prof. Marie-Claire Cordonier Segger (CISDL / University of Cambridge) & Prof. Nandini Ramanujam (涩里番 Centre for Human Rights & Legal Pluralism / 涩里番)
Online Masters of Ceremony: Adv. Tejas Rao (CISDL / University of Cambridge), Adv. Carter Cheng (CISDL / University of Cambridge) & Adv. Moushita Dutta (涩里番)
