Highest judicial institutions from 27 countries announce 'Kunming Declaration'

The World Judicial Conference on the Environment has concluded in southwestern China's Yunnan Province with a joint declaration to boost international cooperation. The event was held in the provincial capital Kunming, the same city where this year's COP15 conference will be held. CGTN reporter Ma Ke has more.

Over 160 representatives from the highest judicial institutions of 27 countries have jointly declared they'll boost international collaboration to preserve biodiversity, fight climate change and prevent and remedy pollution.

YANG WANMING Vice President, Supreme People's Court of PRC said: "The rule of law has an irreplaceable and important role in global environmental governance. Through open, transparent, fair, efficient, accessible and affordable adjudication, we jointly promote green, low-carbon, circular economies and sustainable development and work together to realize the vision of living in harmony with nature."

The document also specifies goals, including the use of precautionary judicial methods to put ecological restoration first if damage has been done and facilitate public litigation on the environment.

ELIZABETH MARUMA MREMA Executive Secretary of Secretariat Convention on Biological Diversity said: "The role of the judiciary in the effective implementation of the existing national framework laws, national biodiversity strategies and action plans cannot be underestimated. Sharing the judicial presidencies, information and experience can support strong institutions that are essential for the environmental rule of law."

During the two-day discussions, chief justices shared cases concerning air and water pollution, animal trafficking, the protection of endangered species, and the green-economy. They found differences in each country's specific challenges, but agreed that handling environmental issues needs to be a global effort.

VYACHESLAV M. LEBEDEV Chief Justice, Supreme Court of the Russian Federation said: "The restoration of ecology is a key issue for every country. We have over 100 laws and regulations to protect land, water, the air and the ecosystem. In dealing with disputes between national laws and the international framework, fundamentally we'll uphold our international commitments first. That is our principle."

LAURENT FABIUS President, Constitutional Council of the French Republic said: "One of the greatest interests of this conference is to deal with different matters, to have an overall approach. 2021 will be fundamentally decisive. We have the opportunity in 2021 to have an improvement in the field of biodiversity and fighting climate change."

The conference is associated with this year's COP15 conference, which is also set to be held here in Kunming, capital of the most biodiverse region in all of China.