The president of the Supreme Court of Justice of the Nation, Ricardo Lorenzetti, attended the World Water Forum, which was held in Brasilia, Brazil, from March the 17th to the 23rd.
During the event, there was a meeting of the Board of Directors of the Global Judicial Institute for the Environment, which is an entity that investigates environmental legal issues worldwide.
The executive committee is made up of Lord Robert Carnwath (Minister of the Supreme Court of the United Kingdom), Li Mingyi and Yang Di (Supreme People’s Court, China), Luc Lavrysen (Minister of the Constitutional Court of Belgium), Ricardo Lorenzetti ( President of the Supreme Court of Justice of Argentina), Mansoor Ali Shah (Minister of the Supreme Court of Justice of Pakistan), I Gusti Agung Sumanatha (Minister of the Supreme Court of Justice of Indonesia), Antonio Benjamin (Minister of the Supreme Court of Justice of Brazil), Ragnhild Noer (Minister of the Supreme Court of Justice of Norway), Brian Preston (President of the Environmental Court of New South Wales, Australia), Michelle Weekes (Minister of the Superior Court of Justice of Barbados), Michael Wilson ( Minister of the Hawaii Superior Court of Justice) and Emmanuel Ugirashebuya (East African Court of Justice).
Also in attendance: Eva Duer (United Nations Environment Program –UNEP-), Arnold Kreilhuber (Deputy Director of the United Nations Environmental Law Division), Claudia de Windt (Organization of American States -OAS-), Cristina Crespo (Honorary President, International Association of Judges), Stefano Burchi (Executive President of the International Association of Water Law), Michael Hantke Domas (Minister of the Third Environmental Court of Chile), Michel Prieur (France, International Center for Comparative Environmental Law) and Scott Fulton (Washington, Environmental Law Institute).
At the Forum, a declaration by the members of the Institute on the problem of drinking water in the world was scheduled to be discussed. The shortage of drinking water and pollution produce a very high risk for the entire planet. This creates great social, economic and political conflicts. In many countries, there are populations that don’t have access to water or pay a very expensive price for it. Hence, that is why there’s been a debate surrounding the question of the human right to clean water. In other countries, there are economic conflicts derived from property rights over water resources and the environmental function of that property. These issues are of great importance for current and future generations and are discussed in the judiciary.
