Promoting just & sustainable societies

The Institute’s mission is to promote just and sustainable societies and to protect the environment by advancing the understanding, development and implementation of effective, accountable and democratic systems of governance for sustainable development.

Strengthening environmental law

The Institute brings together professionals from around the world who are committed to strengthening environmental law and institutions to promote sustainable development.

The Institute advances:

• Understanding of governance through research and education
• Effective implementation of policies through capacity building
• Change on key issues through advice and advocacy
• Cooperation through networking
• Enhanced public awareness through film and television

Connecting professionals from around the world

The Institute has a broad range of projects in a variety of regions. Its members include practitioners and scholars from a variety of developed and developing countries – including lawyers, political scientists, economists and others – representing a diversity of geographic regions, and a wide range of cultural, legal and political traditions.

Working with leading international organizations

The Institute collaborates with leading national and international and academic organizations including:

• United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP)
• United Nations Institute for Training and Research (UNITAR)
• The Organization for Economic Cooperation & Development (OECD)
• Basel Convention on Hazardous Wastes
• University of California, Santa Barbara (UCSB)

The Institute provides the secretariat to the International Network for Environmental Compliance and Enforcement (INECE), a network of over 4,000 environmental professionals in around 150 countries.