Center for International Environmental Law

"CIEL" redirects here; for the Canadian radio station, please see CIEL-FM.

The Center for International Environmental Law (CIEL) is a public interest, not-for-profit environmental law firm founded in 1989 in the USA to strengthen international and comparative environmental law and policy around the world. With offices in Washington, DC and Geneva, Switzerland, CIEL’s staff of international attorneys provide legal counsel and advocacy, policy research and capacity building in the areas of biodiversity, chemicals, climate change, human rights and the environment, international financial institutions, law and communities, and trade and sustainable development.

Carroll Muffett is the current president.

Mission Statement

The Central for International Environmental Law's (CIEL) mission is to use the power of law to protect the environment, promote human rights, and ensure a just and sustainable society.

CIEL has been in the vanguard of efforts to use the power of law to protect the environment, promote human rights and advocate for a just and sustainable society. The law, the economy, the social landscape and the Earth itself have changed dramatically CIEL began in 1989, and the pace of change continues to accelerate. In this changing landscape, CIEL has not only identified new opportunities for advocacy, but also created them by experimenting, innovating, and adapting as new circumstances emerge and openings present themselves.

Throughout its history, CIEL has worked not only to support communities and defend the environment in the face of looming threats, but to change the very system that gives rise to those threats. CIEL works creatively to build the legal levers for change that will be effective not only for CIEL and its partners, but for others far beyond CIEL’s reach.

About CIEL

CIEL is incorporated as a U.S. nonprofit organization designated by the IRS as a 501(c)(3) tax-exempt charity. CIEL meets the rigorous public accountability standards of the federal government’s Combined Federal Campaign, including by conducting an annual audit; completing a Form 990; and publishing an Annual Report made available to the public.

Goals

CIEL's vision for the world is one where the law reflects the interconnection between humans and the environment, respects the limits of the planet, protects the dignity and equality of each person, and encourages all of earth’s inhabitants to live in balance with each other. In every aspect of its work, CIEL promotes the rule of law; transparent, just and sustainable processes; balanced economic and political power that protects the rights of communities and the environment; democratic inclusion; intra and inter-generational equity; the interconnectedness of life on the planet; and the intrinsic value of nature and the inherent rights of species and ecosystems.

Program areas

• Climate Change

Deforestation damages ecosystems, communities, and the Earth's climate. CIEL helps design policies and actions to reduce deforestation in a manner that follows a rights-based approach and respects international law. Supporting the sustainable livelihoods of forest-dependent peoples and ensuring their continued access to resources helps reduce deforestation, protect biodiversity, and stabilize the climate.

• International financial institutions

The International Financial Institutions (IFIs) Program works to ensure that human rights are respected and the environment protected in the context of development finance. By promoting the principle of local participation in decision making, seeking stronger social, environmental and disclosure standards, and facilitating development and use of mechanisms to hold financial institutions accountable for their activities, CIEL seeks to promote a more sustainable and community-centered paradigm of development.

• Law and Communities

CIEL’s Law and Communities (L&C) Program assists communities in defending their rights to land and natural resources. Working with partners around the world, CIEL provides direct support to communities by helping them access regional and international mechanisms to defend themselves. CIEL also advocates for international laws and policies that recognize community-based property rights, with a special focus on the right to free, prior, and informed consent (FPIC).

• Chemicals

CIEL’s Chemicals Program works at both the national and international level to achieve a toxics-free future. Exposed through food, water, and products–at work and at home–hazardous chemicals are taking a tremendous toll on human health and the environment. CIEL negotiates new international treaties; changes public policy and private practices; advocates for precaution and increased attention on new forms of chemicals; and, along the way, builds strong and diverse coalitions.

• Human Rights and the Environment

In November 2012, at the headquarters of the UN Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean in Santiago de Chile, CIEL joined in the adoption of a Road Map for the elaboration of a regional instrument on access rights. Access rights embody the procedural dimensions of the right to a healthy environment, and they include access to information, participation and access to justice.

• Biodiversity

Biodiversity makes up the structure of the ecosystems and habitats that support essential living resources, including wildlife, fisheries and forests. It helps provide for basic human needs such as food, shelter, and medicine. And it is increasingly threatened by destructive human activities. Through its Biodiversity Program, CIEL promotes the development and enforcement of an international framework of law and policy that supports conservation and sustainable use of living resources.

• Trade and Sustainable Development

CIEL's Trade & Sustainable Development Program seeks to reform the international economic laws, policies, and institutions to promote equitable and sustainable trade and investment. CIEL aims to promote greater accountability and stronger environmental policies in international trade and investment laws and institutions.

Internships and Fellowships

CIEL's intern/extern/fellowship program offers lawyers, law students and other exceptionally motivated students and graduates excellent opportunities to gain experience in the field of international environmental law.

Over its 20 years, CIEL has trained more than 350 interns from 53 countries, providing an important educational opportunity for lawyers in training. CIEL’s Intern Program trains new lawyers and law students by giving them the opportunity to work on cutting-edge international environmental issues in Washington and Geneva alongside and under the mentorship of CIEL’s experienced staff attorneys.

• Internships & Fellowships In Washington, D.C.
• Internships & Fellowships in Geneva, Switzerland
• Louis B. Sohn Fellowship In Human Rights & Environment
• Peruvian Amazon Internship

American University, Washington College of Law CIEL's joint research and teaching program with The American University, Washington College of Law includes specialized courses on international and comparative environmental law and on-the-job experience through an extensive internship program to help launch the careers of law students and lawyers dedicated to environmental protection.

• Washington College of Law International Environmental Law Program

See also

• Canadian Environmental Law Association (CELA)
• Earthjustice
• East Coast Environmental Law
• West Coast Environmental Law
• General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade (GATT)
• World Trade Organization
• Environmental Dispute Resolution Fund

External links

• CIEL Home Page