R2HE is part of the Center for Human Rights and Global Justice TERRA Program
To chart a path forward – towards ecological restoration, not collapse – we need tools that can target the drivers of the current existential threats we face – namely, climate change, biodiversity loss and toxic pollution – and the harms they generate. The right to a healthy environment (R2HE) is one such powerful tool.
Most countries understand that implementation of R2HE prevents degradation, and protects and promotes the healthy environment that all humans depend on. Therefore, for years, states have recognized R2HE through their constitutions and laws or by acceding to regional treaties that incorporate the right. This global recognition has been bolstered by UN resolutions formally recognizing the right as an international human right.
Given the widespread recognition of the right, a sizable and robust framework that includes the judicial and legislative articulation of R2HE has and continues to develop. While this means that efforts to implement and improve compliance with the right are not starting from square one, it also means that a vast and complex universe of R2HE jurisprudence and judicial practices exists.
NYU Law’s R2HE Toolkit, created in collaboration with the UN Environment Programme and UN Special Rapporteurs, like David Boyd and John Knox, seeks to shed light on the vast and complex universe of right to a healthy environment (R2HE) jurisprudence and judicial practices. The Toolkit is the first-ever database of global R2HE case law and analysis. It offers insights into significant R2HE litigation cases, compiles country- specific profiles and identifies cross-cutting strategies and practices used across jurisdictions globally. The project also makes available expert reports and articles unpacking the right’s scope, content and on-the-ground developments. Through these activities, the R2HE Toolkit aims to support the implementation of R2HE, so that it may ultimately provide communities, governments and ecosystems with tangible benefits.
Position
We are seeking 1-2 Research Assistants to help with the content of the R2HE Toolkit. This includes:
- Close collaboration with UN Rapporteurs and with supervisors (Melina De Bona and César Rodríguez-Garavito) in the development of ideas and direction of the project.
- Conducting jurisprudential research to find new / update existing R2HE cases on the Toolkit.
- Writing of short analytical case studies for the Toolkit.
- Aid with the editing of an upcoming report that will be published
Requirements / preferences:
- Must be a 2L, 3L or LLM.
- Must have basic knowledge of international law.
- Basic knowledge of environmental law preferred.
- Secondary languages preferred.
Credit or Paid options available.
Hours: 10 hours / week (depending on credit or pay).
If hired for the position, you may opt to join the Human Rights Scholars program.
To apply, please email Melina De Bona <melina.debona@nyu.edu> with your resume and statement of interest.