The role of law in the pursuit of sustainable development
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Siri Gloppen
Professor and Director of the Centre on Law and Social Transformation
University of Bergen / CMI
Sustainable development can be understood in terms of respecting, protecting and progressively realizing human rights for all, future as well as current human beings. Human rights – as laid down in international treaties and national constitutions – represent promises we have made to each other, national and globally, to secure for all members of our society the social, political and material basis for a life with dignity.
The Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) embody the commitment to progressively realize fundamental human rights norms, including the rights of all to health, education and a healthy environment. To properly employ human rights based approaches and the accountability mechanisms provided by law and legal institutions, will be crucial if we are to realize the vision reflected in these goals – and deliver on the commitment to equality, non-discrimination and to vulnerable groups.
Siri Gloppen is Professor of Comparative Politics at the University of Bergen and Director of the CMI-UiB Centre on Law & Social Transformation (LawTransform), which is a global hub for research on law as an instrument of social change, with particular focus on the global south. Gloppen’s research is at the intersection of law and politics and covers topics such as: the social and political role of courts; human rights; constitution making and constitutionalism; legal mobilization and litigation (health rights; sexual and reproductive rights, land rights, climate and environmental rights); electoral processes; accountability institutions; transitional justice and reconciliation processes. Empirical focus is on Southern and East Africa, India.
She has lead a number of cross-regional projects comparing the role of courts legal mobilization in Latin America, Africa and Asia. Publications include Court and Power in Latin America and Africa (Palgrave 2010) and Litigating Health Rights: can courts bring more justice to health (Harvard 2011).
This plenary presenation is free and open to all!
