From September 1 – 6, 2022, ELP students Holly Crawford ’24 and Evan Miyaki, Jr. ’23, recent graduate and current LLM student Constancio Paranal III ’22, and ELP Co-Director David M. Forman ’93 attended the Normandy Chair for Peace (NCP) Summer School in Caen, France. ELP’s Summer Fellow, Lizbeth Luevano (Stanford University ’25), also attended. The Summer School featured panelists from across the globe focused on achieving peace through environmental law, protecting Indigenous rights, and advocating for the rights of future generations. Professor Forman, a member of the NCP Summer School organizing committee and the Co-Head of the NCP lines of research on climate change and Indigenous Peoples, presented on “Legal Actions for Future Generations” and ELP’s work as a RINGO (Research and Independent Non-Governmental Organization) in the international law field.
Notable speakers included the highly respected Antonio A. Oposa Jr., the Normandy Chair for Peace Chair Leader, and Corinne Lepage, the former French Minister of the Environment. Mr. Oposa had the attendees stand and sing John Lennon’s “Imagine” as an act of inspiration. Mr. Oposa also shared stories from the Minors Oposa v. Factoran (1993) case, which he brought forth on behalf of the children of the Philippines to save old-growth forests. The landmark decision resulted in the adoption of the principle of intergenerational responsibility, which recognizes that every generation has a responsibility to the next generation to preserve the environment. Lepage, a renowned politician, obtained a moratorium on GMOs in France and shared her experiences.
Speakers also focused on the role that Indigenous Peoples should play in the international law and environmental law fields. Kenneth Deer, leader of the Mohawk Nation of Kahnawake Territory, presented on how the Mohawk fought for their rights in the United Nations and the resistance they faced by the Canadian government. Eric Julien shared a story of traveling through the high valleys of the Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta in Colombia, where the Kogi Indians (Kagabas) saved him from a pulmonary edema. When asked how he could thank them, the Kagabas asked Julien to share their story. Julien fiercely questioned our modern society and asked us to reconsider the term “primitive” that is used to describe so many Indigenous Peoples.
On the fifth day of the Summer School, students participated in a Model United Nations titled metaMUN. metaMUN afforded students the chance to experience an International Court of Justice proceeding. The experience yielded many important and nuanced observations around ways in which nations negotiate and forge strategic alliances in order to promote their political agendas.
On the final day of our conference students were brought on a tour along the coast of Normandy, where Allied forces landed on June 6, 1944—a moment in history that ultimately inspired the Normandy Chair for Peace and its accompanying values of peace, freedom, human rights and democracy.
– HC, EM, & CP 9/22/22