From 12 to 13 November, FGV Rio Law Research Collective on Advanced Studies in Energy Transition, in partnership with the Elisabeth Haub School of Law at Pace University, organized the international conference “A Mandate for All: The Legal and Civic Imperative to Confront the Climate Emergency”, as part of the COP30 side events. 

Throughout the two-day conference, events were held simultaneously in Rio de Janeiro at FGV’s headquarters, in New York City (USA) at the Elisabeth Haub School of Law, and in Belém (Brazil), the host city of COP30, where Silveira & Athias Law Firm hosted the local program, gathering international scholars, jurists, scientists, Indigenous representatives, youth activists, public officials, and policymakers across three strategic locations.

The conference featured the participation of leading experts from Brazil and abroad, such as FGV Rio Law Professor Rômulo Sampaio, Professor Horace Anderson (Dean of the Elisabeth Haub School of Law), Professor David Cassuto (Director of the Brazil-American Institute for Law and Environment; BAILE), and Kilaparti Ramakrishna (Director of the Marine Policy Center and Senior Advisor to the President on Ocean and Climate Policy at Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution; WHOI). 

The opening remarks were delivered by FGV Rio Law Vice Dean Antônio Maristrello Porto, Dean Horace Anderson, and Jorge Alex Nunes Athias, Partner at Silveira & Athias, followed by keynote addresses by Selwin Charles Hart, UN Special Adviser to the Secretary-General on Climate Action and Just Transition, and Peggy Shepard, Executive Director of WE ACT for Environmental Justice. 

Later on, panels explored a wide range of issues, including Government and corporate accountability in the climate crisis, Indigenous rights and climate justice, as well as International Law and State responsibility for environmental harm, particularly in light of the recent advisory opinion of the International Court of Justice (ICJ), which underscores the binding obligations of states to prevent transboundary environmental damage and reinforces the imperative for accountability and concrete action in addressing the global climate crisis.

Finally, the closing remarks were brought by FGV Rio Law Professor Rômulo Sampaio, University of Miami Professor Jessie Owley, and the Elisabeth Haub School of Law Professor Nicholas Robinson, highlighting the importance of sustained international collaboration, cross-disciplinary engagement, while implementing tangible and accountable measures to address the climate challenges. 

Through its Research Collective on Advanced Studies in Energy Transition, FGV Rio Law is actively engaged in global climate debates, advancing research, capacity-building, and international collaboration to support legal and policy responses to the climate challenges.