This presentation is part of the 5th African Regional Centre of Expertise (RCE) Conference in Uganda, 14-16 October 2015

1. Establishment of an Environmental
Justice Clinic at Chancellor College
Marlene CHIKUNI, PhD
RCE Zomba, MALAWI
Presented at the 5th African RCE Conference,
Uganda: 14-16 October, 2015

2. outline
• Introduction
• Background
• progress

3. Introduction
• UNIMA
– meet Malawi’s social, economic & environmental
challenges
• Chancellor College
– liberal arts college
• largest campus with 5 faculties
• Mission
– graduate students conversant with theoretical &
practical knowledge

4. Environmental threats
• Deforestation
• Habitat loss
• Biodiversity loss
• Waste management
• Soil erosion
• Invasive alien species
• Poverty

5. Background
• Environmental law
• 2014 class suggestion
• Right to clean environment violated
• Deforestation, unsafe sewage disposal, waste
management
• Few environmental law practitioners
– Capacity needs assessment
• Environmental justice clinic

6. Objectives (1)
• raising awareness about the Clinic
– official launch
• Provision of free legal services
– represent communities
• Capacity building among students
– provide leadership opportunities by getting them
involved in the management of the clinic

7. objectives (2)
• Research
– environmental law related topics
• Environmental policy proposals
– review and advocate for policy change &
implementation
• Community outreach programmes
– engaging, advising & sensitisation

8. progress
• Four meetings
• Translating ambitions into reality
• Work plan developed
– Students capacity to develop proposals enhanced

9. challenges
• Balancing academic and voluntary extra-
curricula activities
• Launch delayed

10. RCE Zomba involvement in Youth
activities
• Consultations
• Edited concept paper
• Linkages
– politicians, NGOs, fellow students, DFO
• 1000 seedlings planted in February by GCI
members
– reforestation of Zomba mountain

11. Thank you for your attention