World Commission on Environmental Law

The mission of the WCEL is to assure through the environmental rule of law, the proper valuation, conservation, restoration and sustainable use of nature through transformative change across legal, political, technological, social, financial and economic sectors. Fundamental, system-wide and cross-sectoral changes, including paradigms, goals and values, are necessary for achieving global and national sustainability goals, such as those expressed in the Sustainable Development Goals and the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, the 2050 Vision for Biodiversity, and in the Paris Agreement.

Environmental law is a crucial lever in generating transformative change. WCEL will work to enhance the development and strengthen the implementation of environmental law and policy, including through best practices and inter-sectoral strategies for effective compliance and enforcement. WCEL will promote the environmental rule of law globally, particularly in countries that seek to improve their law and governance systems. WCEL aims to strengthen the capacity of governments, the judiciary, prosecutors, law schools and other stakeholders as they develop and implement environmental law.

These By-Laws shall guide the Commission’s Members and cooperating institutions in furtherance of the mandate of the Commission as adopted by the IUCN Members Assembly and the objectives of IUCN as reflected in the Statutes of the IUCN and the IUCN Work Program as adopted by the World Conservation Congress to provide effective legal foundations for conserving the integrity and diversity of nature and to ensure that use of natural resources is equitable and ecologically sustainable.

WCEL is a network of legal experts who make up the Commission membership. A law degree is required in order to apply for WCEL membership.

After applying for membership, WCEL's Steering Committee will review the application and where additional information is required, the applicant will be contacted.