Environmental Rights Africa - ERA

22/10/2026

For Immediate Release

22 October 2026

*ERA Coalition Hails Brownell, Recipient of Prestigious Elisabeth Haub Award*

The Environmental Rights Africa (ERA) Coalition has congratulated Alfred Lahai Gbabai Brownell Sr, the lead campaigner of the coalition for receiving the 2026 Elisabeth Haub Award for Environmental Law and Diplomacy.

Brownell received the award alongside Durwood Zaelke. They were both named as recipients by the Elisabeth Haub School of Law for their groundbreaking contributions to the progressive development of environmental law and their decades of leadership advancing environmental justice, climate action, and environmental governance around the world.

The award was presented at a ceremony held at the Pace University in New York City on Wednesday, October 21, 2026.

According to the Elisabeth Haub School of Law, both honorees have demonstrated the transformative power of law to address some of the world’s most pressing environmental challenges.

Alfred Brownell has pioneered legal strategies to protect communities, environmental and climate defenders, and natural resources while advancing environmental rights and climate justice across Africa and globally.

Durwood Zaelke on the other hand, has played a leading role in strengthening the Montreal Protocol and building on its success protecting the ozone layer to achieve significant climate benefits, including through the landmark Kigali Amendment.

“Alfred Brownell and Durwood Zaelke exemplify the vision and leadership that the Elisabeth Haub Award was created to recognize,” said Horace E. Anderson Jr., Dean of the Elisabeth Haub School of Law and President of the Haub Award Jury.

In a statement shared by Philip Jakpor, ERA Coalition Steering Committee Member and Communications Work Group Coordinator, the coalition said that the award is well deserved and is a reward for Alfred’s doggedness in the defence of marginalized and violated communities across Africa.

Coalition members shared their views about the award:

Peter Quaqua, Head of ERA Coalition Secretariat said:

"This recognition is not only a tribute to Alfred’s extraordinary courage, leadership, and lifelong commitment to environmental and human rights, but also an affirmation of the struggles of African communities and frontline environmental defenders who continue to stand up for their lands, livelihoods, and dignity, often at great personal risk."

Thuli Brilliance Makama, senior advisor for Africa at Oil Change International, said:

The recognition of Brownell by the Elisabeth Haub School of Law is the recognition of excellence. Brownell has been exemplary to our generation and is now a beacon of hope for the younger generation of environmental rights advocates who need guiding lights in a world darkened by injustice.”

Aminata Finda Massaquoi, National Coordinator, Women’s Network Against Rural Plantations Injustice (WoNARPI), Sierra Leone said:

Today we celebrate a selfless activist not just in Africa but across the Globe. Alfred is a motivator to many of us who want to see freedom and dignity restored to every human on Earth. We congratulations him”

Brownell is the Lead Campaigner for both the African Climate Platform (ACP) and the ERA Coalition. He is the Founding President of the Global Climate Legal Defense (CliDef), which provides legal support and protection to climate activists and defenders around the world. He previously founded and led Green Advocates International, Liberia’s first public interest environmental law and human rights organization.

He is currently leading efforts to strengthen environmental and climate governance across Africa, including a petition seeking an advisory opinion from the African Court on Human and Peoples’ Rights regarding the legal obligations of African States in responding to the climate crisis and an effort to develop a binding regional environmental rights treaty for Africa.

The Elisabeth Haub Award for Environmental Law and Diplomacy is the world’s most prestigious award in the field of environmental law. The Award has a distinguished history since 1979 shaped by progress in the field of environmental law and policy, and through collaborations with the Université libre de Bruxelles and the International Council of Environmental Law.

For Additional Information

Philip Jakpor

ERA Coalition Steering Committee Member &

Communications Work Group Coordinator

+234 803 725 6939
[email protected]

https://www.vanguardngr.com/2026/10/era-coalition-hails-brownell-recipient-of-prestigious-elisabeth-haub-award/

22/07/2026

Sierra Leone's Justice Minister, Alpha Sesay makes presentation beefore Parliament for the ratification of the Protocol establishing the African Court on Human and People's Rights.

22/07/2026

PRESS RELEASE

ERA Urges Other African Nations to Emulate Sierra Leone on Ratification of African Court Protocol

Monrovia, Liberia – 17 July 2026 – The Environment Rights Africa (ERA) coalition has described Sierra Leone's ratification of the Protocol to the establishment of the African Court as a bold affirmation that justice must be accessible, rights must be enforceable, and accountability must prevail.

In a press release commending the historic step taken on Thursday 16 July 2026, the ERA congratulated the government of President Julius Maada Bio and the people of Sierra Leone, hailing the ratification as an important victory for the rule of law and calling on all African Union Member States to follow suit.
With the ratification, Sierra Leone has become a State Party to the Protocol, which was established to ensure the protection of human and peoples' rights across Africa. The decision is also coming as Africa commemorates the 20th anniversary of the African Court's operations which began in 2006.

The ERA coalition, which is campaigning for a robust continental environmental rights framework, reminds African governments that strengthening Africa's human rights architecture is essential to advancing the rule of law, democratic governance, sustainable development, and lasting peace.

Coinciding with the African Court's 20th anniversary, Sierra Leone's ratification of the Protocol underscores the legal leadership of Attorney General and Minister of Justice Alpha Sesay and positions the country as a leading advocate for regional justice, human rights, and the rule of law in Africa.

"For communities facing environmental harm, this ratification signals a shift from symbolic recognition to meaningful accountability through strengthened regional justice mechanisms," said Ahmad Abdallah, Chairperson of the ERA Steering Committee.

Reacting to the development, Abdallah said that Sierra Leone has shown the continent what principled leadership and political courage look like.

“We encourage its leaders to build on this historic achievement by championing the adoption of a continental environmental rights legal framework that guarantees every person the rights to access environmental information, participate meaningfully in environmental decision-making, and seek justice in matters affecting the air, water, land, and natural resources upon which our lives and livelihoods depend."

In his reaction, Abdul Karim Marah, Executive Director of the Global Youth Counterpart (GYC) said: "Sierra Leone's ratification of the Protocol establishing the African Court on Human and Peoples' Rights is a historic milestone that strengthens justice, accountability, and the protection of fundamental rights. As a youth climate activist and youth development specialist, I believe this decision sends a powerful message that the voices and rights of young people matter.

It reinforces our collective responsibility to create an Africa where every young person can actively participate in shaping policies, advancing climate justice, and building a more inclusive, peaceful, and sustainable future."
Sierra Leone's ratification builds on its longstanding engagement with ERA, including hosting the coalition's 2025 Strategic Roadmap Meeting in Freetown, where members adopted a five-year strategy to advance environmental rights across the continent.

Building on this momentum, ERA believes Sierra Leone is well-positioned to champion an African Union Member State-led process toward the adoption of a continental environmental rights framework guaranteeing access to information, public participation, and access to justice in environmental matters.

ERA pledges constructive collaboration with Sierra Leone’s Ministries of Justice and Environment to channel this political will into pioneering diplomatic leadership.

About ERA
Environmental Rights in Africa (ERA) is a growing pan-African coalition of more than 75 civil society organizations and grassroots movements working across over 40 African countries to advance and strengthen environmental rights, environmental governance, protect environmental and land defenders, and promote environmental justice and the enjoyment of a clean, healthy, and sustainable environment.

For further information, please contact: ​ ERA Secretariat ​ Monrovia, Liberia ​ Email: [email protected] Tel: +231 886 529 611

15/07/2026

African CSOs Hold Consultation on Interpretation of Article 24 of the African Chapter on Human and People’s Rights

(Monrovia - 13 July 2026) More than 120 representatives of civil society organizations, environmental human rights defenders, Indigenous Peoples, legal experts, academics, community leaders, youth movements, and development partners from across Africa have called for stronger recognition and protection of environmental rights during a high-level continental consultation convened to support the development of the African Commission on Human and Peoples' Rights (ACHPR) General Comment on Article 24 of the African Charter on Human and Peoples' Rights.

The virtual consultation, convened by Environmental Rights Africa (ERA) in collaboration with regional and international partners, provided a platform for stakeholders to make substantive contributions to the Commission's interpretation of Article 24, which guarantees the right of all peoples to a general satisfactory environment favorable to their development.

Opening the meeting, ERA Steering Committee Chairperson Ahmad Abdallah welcomed participants and underscored the importance of ensuring that African civil society plays a central role in shaping one of the continent's most significant environmental and human rights instruments. He emphasized that the General Comment presents a unique opportunity to strengthen environmental governance, promote accountability, and reinforce the rights of communities most affected by environmental degradation and climate change.

Delivering the keynote address, Honorable Commissioner Dr. Solomon Ayele Dersso, Chairperson of the ACHPR Working Group on Extractive Industries, Environment and Human Rights Violations, commended ERA for organizing the consultation. While outlining the Commission's ongoing process for developing the General Comment, he encouraged civil society organizations, experts to go beyond academia and reflect lived experiences of affected communities in their submission. He stressed that broad and inclusive participation would ensure that the final document reflects the realities facing communities across Africa.

The consultation featured presentations from leading environmental law and human rights experts who examined three key thematic areas central to the General Comment.

Professor Angela van der Burg, Director of the Global Environmental Law Centre at the University of the Western Cape, South Africa, explored the normative content and scope of the right to a satisfactory environment under Article 24. She argued that the provision should be interpreted as a living and autonomous right capable of responding to emerging environmental challenges, including climate change, biodiversity loss, and environmental degradation.

Angela Kariuki, Legal Officer at the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), examined States' obligations under Article 24, emphasizing corporate accountability, environmental protection, climate action, and sustainable development. She noted that economic development should reinforce—not undermine—the enjoyment of environmental rights and highlighted the importance of integrating human rights into environmental governance and business practices.

Dr. Michael Addaney, Senior Lecturer at the School of Built Environment, University of Energy and Natural Resources, Ghana, focused on procedural environmental rights. His presentation underscored the importance of access to environmental information, meaningful public participation in decision-making, effective access to justice, accountability mechanisms, and stronger legal protections for environmental human rights defenders, Indigenous Peoples, and other vulnerable communities.

Following the plenary presentations, participants met in Arabic, French, and English/Portuguese breakout sessions to discuss the three thematic areas in greater depth. The discussions generated a range of recommendations, including calls to clarify the meaning of a "general satisfactory environment," strengthen State obligations and accountability, guarantee timely access to environmental information, enhance meaningful public participation in environmental decision-making, reinforce legal protections for environmental defenders, and explicitly incorporate principles of climate justice, intergenerational equity, ecological integrity, and human dignity into the General Comment.

The consultation forms part of the African Commission's broader process following the adoption of Resolution ACHPR/Res.633 (L###III) 2025, which mandated the development of the General Comment on Article 24. Once adopted, the General Comment is expected to provide authoritative guidance on the scope and implementation of environmental rights under the African Charter, assisting States, courts, national human rights institutions, and other stakeholders in interpreting and applying Article 24 consistently across the continent.

For ERA, meaningful civil society participation is essential to ensuring that the General Comment reflects the lived experiences of communities disproportionately affected by environmental harm, extractive industries, pollution, biodiversity loss, and climate change. The recommendations emerging from the consultation will be consolidated into a joint ERA/civil society submission to the ACHPR Working Group ahead of the 20 July submission deadline.

The consultation was organized by Environmental Rights Africa (ERA) in partnership with the Africa Climate Platform (ACP), the Global Network for Human Rights and the Environment (GNHRE), ALLIED, the African Environmental Defenders Initiative (Natural Justice), the Environmental Lawyers Collective for Africa (ELCA), the Network of African National Human Rights Institutions (NANHRI), the American Bar Association Center for Human Rights (ABA CHR), CIVICUS, the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), and the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR).

As Africa confronts mounting environmental and climate challenges, participants concluded that a strong, rights-based interpretation of Article 24 will be essential to safeguarding both people and the environment, strengthening environmental democracy, and advancing sustainable development across the continent.

06/07/2026

🔗 Register here:
https://us06web.zoom.us/meeting/register/TkseUBSOQ9-3qqH9r5U_5w

01/07/2026

https://www.vanguardngr.com/2026/06/era-launches-20-country-environmental-rights-case-studies/

The Environmental Rights in Africa (ERA) Coalition will officially launch a 20-country Environmental Rights Case Study on 1 July 2026, marking a significant development in efforts to strengthen environmental rights, environmental governance, and environmental justice across Africa. Supported by the....

19/06/2026

Evidence for Action: ERA Unveils Methodology to Assess Environmental Rights Across 20 African Countries

Researchers from around Africa gathered to launch a participatory framework aimed at assessing environmental rights on the continent, to inform a regional environmental rights agenda.

The orientation meeting hosted by the ERA Secretariat on Thursday, 18 June, marked a significant milestone in Africa’s environmental rights movement. Convened virtually, the session officially launched the methodology for twenty country case studies—the foundation of a four-year project supported by the Open Society Foundations (OSF).

Presenting the methodology, consultant Elizabeth Moses outlined a comprehensive approach that will examine constitutional and legal frameworks, enforcement practices, and the state of civic space across participating countries. The research will combine desk reviews with key informant interviews and focus group discussions, ensuring that the findings reflect lived realities as well as policy commitments.

At its core, the initiative seeks to assess the status of environmental rights implementation across selected African countries while identifying legal, policy, and institutional gaps in environmental governance. The study will also document best practices and emerging innovations, generate evidence-based arguments to support the development of a regional environmental rights framework, and strengthen national ownership and coalition-building through the active engagement of Environmental Rights Africa (ERA) members and partners.

Moses emphasized that the exercise is not merely an academic undertaking. It is a participatory process designed to amplify the voices of communities, environmental defenders, women, and young people whose rights and experiences are too often marginalized. By grounding the research in local realities, the project aims to ensure that policy recommendations are informed by those most affected by environmental harm and governance failures.

Closing the meeting, ERA Lead Campaigner Alfred Lahai Brownell delivered a sobering reminder of the challenges ahead. Civic space continues to shrink in many parts of Africa, environmental defenders face growing threats, and Principle 10—the rights to information, public participation, and access to justice in environmental matters—remains inadequately protected. He urged researchers to move beyond documenting gaps and to critically examine the political, social, and economic factors that sustain them, helping to advance a stronger continental commitment to environmental rights.

For Peter Quaqua, Head of ERA's Secretariat, the meeting represented the culmination of months of planning, consultation, and candid discussions among coalition members. His call for sustained engagement reflected a shared understanding that the process is as much about building solidarity and collective action as it is about generating evidence. Emily Kinama, Chair of the Case Study Working Group, echoed this sentiment, emphasizing that open dialogue and collaboration will be essential to the initiative’s success.

The stakes extend far beyond the twenty participating countries. Africa’s environmental rights landscape remains fragmented and contested, shaped by diverse legal traditions, governance systems, and civic space realities. Yet the project presents a rare opportunity to connect national experiences into a broader regional narrative. If successful, it could help lay the foundation for stronger protections for environmental defenders, greater inclusion of marginalized communities, and a more robust framework for environmental justice across the continent.

The ERA coalition has set the stage. What lies ahead is the challenging task of transforming evidence into advocacy and advocacy into meaningful reform. Africa’s communities can afford nothing less. Across the twenty participating countries, researchers now stand ready to begin that work.

27/04/2026

https://www.climatelegaldefense.org/blog-alt/creating-space-for-womens-climate-action-and-safety-in-uganda

Women climate defenders face unique challenges in Ugandan society, where speaking up can be dangerous and taboo.

24/02/2026

17/02/2026

“Advancing the Protection and Promotion of Environmental Rights in Africa” was the focus of a high-level panel held on the sidelines of the 85th Ordinary Public Session of the African Commission on Human and Peoples’ Rights in Banjul, The Gambia.

The October 25, 2025 event—organized by ERA in collaboration with the ACHPR Working Group on Extractive Industries, Environment and Human Rights (WGEI)—brought together the Commissioner overseeing the Working Group, leading experts, and civil society representatives to explore concrete pathways for strengthening environmental rights protections across the continent.