Chief Justice Kumar: Training on environmental and climate law is important for Judges

Judges play an important role in protecting the rights of all individuals to have a safe and healthy environment.

Those words were mentioned by the Chief Justice, Kamal Kumar, when he officiated the three-day Inaugural Training for Pacific Judges on Environment and Climate Law at the Sheraton Fiji Golf & Beach Resort in Nadi yesterday.

The training was supported by the OHCHR Pacific Regional Office, IUCN Oceania, UNEP, PNG Centre for Judicial Excellence and in partnership with the Fiji Environmental Law Association, ADB, Supreme Courts of Papua New Guinea and Fiji and the Global Judicial Institute on the Environment.

Its purpose was to promote the protection of the environment and natural resources, and to promote sustainable development in the Pacific islands through improved implementation, adjudication, and enforcement of environmental, and climate law.

Mr Kumar told the judges that they played an important role in protecting the rights of all individuals to have a safe and healthy environment.

“Even though we as Judicial Officers deal with matters that come before the courts and are not involved in enacting legislation or making policies, we must not forget that we play an important role in protecting the rights of all individuals to have a safe and healthy environment, which of course will be subject to certain limitations, such as national security, economic policy and availability of resources,” Kumar said.

“It is our duty to interpret legislation or international instruments and develop principles to ensure that the attention of the legislature and the drafters of international instruments are given full effect.

“There is no doubt that environment and human rights are inter-independent, meaning that if we as individuals want the right to life, housing, food, water and health guaranteed and protected then it is for us to do as much as we can to save the environment.