Asia Pacific Judicial Colloquium on Climate Change Press Release

Published on Wednesday, 28 February 2018
Members of the Pakistan Supreme Court, Lahore High Court judges, foreign delegates, including environment and climate change experts, lawyers and activists took part in the conference.

The “Asia Pacific Judicial Colloquium on Climate Change: using Constitutions to Advance Environmental Rights and Achieve Climate Justice” in collaboration with Asian Development Bank (ADB) was held in Pearl Continental Hotel Lahore on 26th -27th Feb 2018. 

Lahore High Court Chief Justice Muhammad Yawar Ali said on Monday judges must now consider impact of climate change, especially on vulnerable groups like women and children, and those living in poverty, while interpreting the Constitutional matters.

The Chief Justice said the colloquium was a reflection of importance given by the judges to address climate change and environmental constitutionalism in the region. He addressed the foreign participants / delegates that Pakistan guaranteed environmental rights in some from, ranging from explicit substantive rights to a clean, beneficial and healthy environment.

He said the courts in Punjab, including environmental tribunals and magistrates, were increasingly applying laws in resolving environmental disputes, including those involving climate change.

He said one could see the trends in global environmental constitutionalism and climate litigation in Pakistan and the role of courts from the Supreme Court to the Lahore High Court in creating a link between constitutionalism, climate change and human rights.

He hope that the Judiciary and legal community would continue efforts to be the leading voice in protecting the environment, addressing climate change, and in paving the way to achieving climate justice in an age of sustainable development.

Justice Syed Mansoor Ali Shah of the Supreme Court, Federal Shariat Court Chief Justice Sheikh Najamul Hassan, former Chief Justice of Pakistan Tassaduq Hussain Jillani, Justice Ayesha A Malik, Justice Farrukh Irfan Khan, Justice Ali Baqar Najafi, Justice Jawad Hassan,   Director General PJA, Ms. Mahrukh Aziz, Director Academic, Director Admin, Faculty members of PJA, Registrar LHC, Judges from Nepal, Srilanka, Bangladesh, China, Thailand, Philippine and UK, were also attended the event.

This article was first published on the Punjab Judicial Academy's website.