Haub Law Announces two recipients of the 2021 Elisabeth Haub Award for Environmental Law and Diplomacy
REGISTER TO ATTEND THE VIRTUAL CEREMONY FOR THE 2021 ELISABETH HAUB AWARD FOR ENVIRONMENTAL LAW & DIPLOMACY
The Elisabeth Haub School of Law at Pace University announced today that the 2021 Elisabeth Haub Award for Environmental Law and Diplomacy will be awarded to Ugandan climate justice advocate Vanessa Nakate and Professor Wang Xi, an environmental law scholar and advocate with Kunming University of Science and Technology in China.
Ms. Nakate will receive the 2021 Award in recognition of her citizen diplomacy in bringing the voice of her generation to global environmental campaigns and for her inspiring climate activism in Uganda and beyond. Since December 2018, Ms. Nakate, who is 24, has been making many strides both in Uganda and on the world stage. She was the first Friday for Future climate activist in Uganda and is also founder of the Rise Up Movement, which seeks to amplify the voices of activists from Africa.
Ms. Nakate has sought to draw global attention to the impact of climate change on poverty, hunger, disease, conflict, and violence against women and girls. She spearheaded a global campaign to save Congo’s rainforest, which is facing massive deforestation, and is working on a project that involves installation of solar and institutional stoves in schools. Ms. Nakate holds a degree in Business Administration in Marketing from Makerere University Business School. Her book, entitled A Bigger Picture: My Fight to Bring a New African Voice to the Climate Crisis, will be published this fall.
Becoming an academic after China started to reform and open up in 1978, Professor Wang Xi is one the of the top environmental law experts in China. He will receive the Award for his outstanding contributions to the formulation of environmental laws in China. The advancement of environmental law in the largest and fastest-growing country in the world is of vital importance to the advancement of global environmental law.
He is also recognized for his leadership internationally through his tireless work enabling the international academic exchanges between the Chinese environmental law scholars and their overseas counterparts under the framework of the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN).
Dr. Wang Xi is Director of the Platform for Research on Ecological Civilization and Environmental Rule of Law at China’s Kunming University of Science and Technology (KUST). Prior to joining KUST in 2019, he taught at Shanghai Jiao Tong University from 2002 to 2018 and at Wuhan University from 1984 to 2001.
The prestigious Elisabeth Haub Award for Environmental Law and Diplomacy was established in 1997 by the Elisabeth Haub School of Law at Pace University, in cooperation with the Haub Family, to honor the legacy of Elisabeth Haub (1899 – 1977), a noted philanthropist and advocate for strong laws for the conservation of nature. The award is chosen yearly by an esteemed jury of individuals and was first established to commemorate the 25th anniversary of the United Nations Stockholm Conference and the 5th anniversary of the United Nations Rio de Janeiro Earth Summit.
“The Elisabeth Haub School of Law is proud that our No. 1 ranked environmental law program trains lawyers to understand the intersection between climate justice, the environment and the law,” said Haub Law Dean Horace Anderson. “We are honored this year to shine a light on two individuals from different parts of the world who work tirelessly in different ways to defend the environment.”
“We need to strengthen the environmental rule of law around the globe and break unsustainable consumption patterns,” said Professor Jason Czarnezki, Associate Dean and Executive Director, Environmental Law Programs, and Gilbert and Sarah Kerlin Distinguished Professor of Environmental Law. “We are both inspired by and indebted to Vanessa Nakate and Professor Wang Xi, and they well deserve our recognition and support.”
“The Elisabeth Haub Award for Environmental Law and Diplomacy recognizes the innovation, skill, and accomplishments of lawyers, diplomats, international civil servants and other advocates who work to create the world environmental order,” said Pace University Trustee Liliane A. Haub. “It is our hope that with this award, we are making a statement in support of those individuals and communities who are fighting to create a more sustainable planet.”
About Elisabeth Haub School of Law at Pace University
Elisabeth Haub School of Law at Pace University offers JD and Masters of Law degrees in both Environmental and International Law, as well as a Doctor of Juridical Science (SJD) in Environmental Law. The school, housed on the University’s campus in White Plains, N.Y., opened its doors in 1976 and has more than 9,000 alumni around the world. The school maintains a unique philosophy and approach to legal education that strikes an important balance between practice and theory. Haub Law launched its Environmental Law Program in 1978, and it has long been ranked among the world’s leading university programs, with a current #1 ranking by U.S. World and News Report. Pace’s doctoral graduates teach environmental law at universities around the world. Pace’s JD alumni are prominent in environmental law firms, agencies and non-profit organizations across the U.S. and abroad. In 2016, the Law School received a transformational gift from the family of Elisabeth Haub, in recognition of its outstanding environmental law programs. For more information about Haub Law, visit http://law.pace.edu
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