SustainabilityFocusHumanRightsThe session will explore and explain the human rights and development link, within the meaning of Climate Change Justice. Moreover, it will identify challenges faced by the most vulnerable with the focus on women and girls, in accessing fair, equitable and meaningful access to climate justice. Through some of their stories, barriers and challenges accessing Legal Aid, will become transparent. It is known that 80% of people displaced by climate change are women [Gender, climate change and food security, issue brief, 2016 UNDP]. The commitment to mainstream a gender perspective into environmental climate change and disaster risk reduction policies includes promotion of women’s participation and leadership in decision making on environmental and climate change issues. However, when climate change justice or environmental justice is sought by vulnerable citizens to safeguard human rights, at local level within national borders, is Legal Aid available? Are there other approaches? What is meant by a ‘human centred approach’, within Climate Change Justice? Is it desirable that lawyers adapt for the Climate Crisis through human centred approaches by learning about trauma informed practice skills, mediation, and restorative practice processes, while advocating for the economic benefit of Legal Aid for the most vulnerable, who are seeking Climate Change or environmental redress and Justice? Justice is far too rarely described as ‘human centred’, yet to address climate change, this session seeks to discover its meaning and potential.

SUSTAINABILITY FOCUS sessions marked as such are part of the IBA Annual Conference 2022 sustainability focus on Tuesday and Thursday, grouping sessions discussing different aspects of ESG and sustainability across the different legal fields.