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This guide, published by the Center for International Environmental Law (CIEL) in February 2026, provides structured 'Litigation Notes' to help lawyers integrate the findings of the International Court of Justice's (ICJ) July 23, 2025, Advisory Opinion (AO) on State obligations regarding climate change into current and future legal cases. The document breaks down the ICJ's conclusions into thematic areas, including government framework litigation, adaptation, remedies and reparations, the right to a healthy environment, corporate conduct, climate finance, speculative interventions, and regulatory backsliding. It aims to translate the ICJ's normative clarity into practical tools for promoting climate justice across national, regional, and international courts.

This guide provides a series of structured 'Litigation Notes' designed to help legal practitioners integrate the findings of the International Court of Justice's (ICJ) July 23, 2025, Advisory Opinion (AO) on States' obligations regarding climate change into domestic, regional, and international court cases. The document breaks down the ICJ AO by key themes—including government framework cases, adaptation, remedies and reparations, the right to a healthy environment, corporate conduct, climate financing, speculative interventions, and regulatory rollbacks—providing specific excerpts from the opinion and illustrating their application through existing and potential litigation categories.

This litigation note, published by the Center for International Environmental Law (CIEL) in February 2026, provides a guide for legal practitioners to integrate the International Court of Justice's (ICJ) July 23, 2025, advisory opinion (AO) on climate change into government framework litigation. It specifically focuses on 'Ambition Gap' and 'Implementation Gap' cases, detailing how the ICJ's findings on Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs), due diligence, and human rights can be used to challenge insufficient government climate policies.

This guide, published by Natural Justice in March 2025, provides small-scale fishing communities in South Africa with a framework for seeking "ocean justice." It details the legal rights of citizens to a healthy environment, the regulatory processes for environmental impact assessments (EIAs), and the risks associated with offshore oil, gas, and mining activities. The document emphasizes the importance of community participation in law-making and the use of legal tools like the Promotion of Access to Information Act (PAIA) to challenge industrial developments that threaten biodiversity, traditional livelihoods, and cultural heritage.

This guide, published by Natural Justice in March 2025, provides small-scale fishing communities in South Africa with a framework for pursuing 'ocean justice'. It details the legal rights of these communities, the environmental and socio-economic impacts of industrial developments like oil and gas exploration, and practical steps for participating in environmental impact assessments and legislative processes to protect their livelihoods and the marine environment.

A practical guidebook published by Natural Justice in February 2025 to help local communities in Mozambique protect their traditional knowledge (TK) and cultural expressions. The guide details legal mechanisms for protection, including Geographic Indicators and Access and Benefit Sharing (ABS) regulations, and provides step-by-step instructions for documenting TK and developing Community Protocols to manage interactions with outsiders.

This reader's guide provides an overview of the core legal text of the Investment Facilitation for Development Agreement (IFDA), a plurilateral initiative within the World Trade Organization (WTO) aimed at facilitating foreign direct investment (FDI) to foster sustainable development, particularly in developing countries and least developed countries (LDCs).

This legal guide, published by Natural Justice in July 2023, provides environmental and land rights defenders in the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC) with information on their constitutional and statutory rights and the legal mechanisms available to remedy human rights violations.

This guide by the International Institute for Sustainable Development (IISD) examines the increasing trend of states terminating old-generation bilateral investment treaties (BITs) to reform investment regimes. It details the legal mechanisms for termination under international law, analyzes common termination and survival clauses, and provides recommendations for states on how to manage the extinction of these treaties and draft new ones.

The Threatened or Protected Species Regulations, 2007, issued under the National Environmental Management: Biodiversity Act 10 of 2004, establish a comprehensive legal framework for managing restricted activities involving listed threatened and protected species in South Africa. The regulations detail a permit system for activities such as hunting, breeding, and trade, and mandate the registration of facilities including captive breeding operations, game farms, and sanctuaries. It includes strict prohibitions on certain hunting methods and activities involving large predators and rhinoceros species, while providing mechanisms for risk assessments, appeals, and the establishment of a Scientific Authority.

The Community Casebook on Mining and Environment is a guide published by the Centre for Environmental Rights to empower South African communities facing mining or prospecting applications. It explains the legal framework of the Mineral and Petroleum Resources Development Act (MPRDA), the duties of the Department of Mineral Resources (DMR), and provides four case studies where communities used legal mechanisms—including judicial reviews and appeals—to challenge mining rights or demand financial transparency from traditional authorities.

This guide, produced by the Centre for Environmental Rights and Lawyers for Human Rights, provides information for communities and individuals in South Africa on their environmental and legal rights when facing proposed mining activities. It details the mandatory government permissions, consultation processes, and legal avenues available to affected parties to protect their land, water, and health.

This guide, published by the Center for International Environmental Law (CIEL), provides local community leaders and indigenous peoples with information on human rights and legal tools to defend their interests within the context of Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation (REDD+). It explains the REDD+ mechanism, its social and environmental safeguards, relevant international and national rights, and provides practical strategies for negotiation and reporting rights violations.

This guide, published by the Center for International Environmental Law (CIEL) in May 2014, provides indigenous and local community leaders with information on human rights and legal tools to defend their interests during the implementation of Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation (REDD+) initiatives.

This guide, authored by L. Brennan Van Dyke and John Barlow Weiner of the Center for International Environmental Law (CIEL), provides an introduction and critical evaluation of the World Trade Organization (WTO) General Council's July 18, 1996, Decision on the circulation and derestriction of documents. The document explains the mechanisms for making restricted documents public and argues that the current system fails to facilitate meaningful public participation in trade policy-making.

This guide by the International Institute for Sustainable Development (IISD) provides a comprehensive overview of the Investment Facilitation for Development Agreement (IFD Agreement), a plurilateral initiative within the World Trade Organization (WTO). The document details the agreement's objectives to increase foreign direct investment (FDI) flows to developing countries and Least Developed Countries (LDCs) through improved transparency, streamlined administrative procedures, and international cooperation, while outlining the specific flexibilities and capacity-building support provided to developing nations.

This handbook provides a comparative analysis of three key anti-corruption instruments: the SADC Protocol against Corruption (2001), the AU Convention on Preventing and Combating Corruption (2003), and the UN Convention against Corruption (2003). It is designed as a tool for lawyers, policy makers, and legal drafters in Southern African countries to help them harmonize domestic legislation with these international standards, focusing on prohibited acts of corruption, preventative measures, jurisdiction, and international cooperation.

This practical guide, published by the Institute for Security Studies (ISS) and coordinated by the Groupe de recherche et d’information sur la paix et la sécurité (GRIP), provides detailed procedures for African states to ratify and implement the Treaty of Pelindaba. The treaty establishes the African Nuclear-Weapon-Free Zone (ANWFZ) to prevent the development, production, testing, acquisition, or stationing of nuclear weapons on the continent while promoting the peaceful use of nuclear energy.

This guide by Natural Justice provides information on the Environmental Authorisation (EA) granted to Shell Offshore Upstream South Africa B.V. and its partners for the Northern Cape Ultra Deep (NCUD) oil and gas exploration project off the South African West Coast. It outlines the project's scope, the legal process for appealing the decision, and potential environmental and socio-cultural impacts identified in the draft Environmental and Social Impact Assessment (ESIA).

This guide, published by Natural Justice, provides legal empowerment and practical resources for environmental and land rights defenders (ELRDs) in Kenya. It outlines the constitutional and statutory rights of activists, identifies the systemic threats they face—including harassment and forced evictions—and provides a step-by-step directory of national and international institutions and civil society organisations available for seeking redress and emergency support.