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An Eco-Security System for All People

International Forum on Law Science

Forum Initiative

The International Forum on Law Science was held as part of the 2023 NESS International Science Congress and Workshop on An Eco-Security System for All People in Haikou on 28 October 2023. Its theme was “how can law science provide robust legal guarantees and support for building Eco-Security System for All People?”. It was sponsored by the Institute of Environmental Law, Wuhan University and co-sponsored by the Chinese Society of Environmental and Resources Law, the School of Law of Hainan University, and the Center for Ecological Civilization and Law of Hainan University. The forum brought together legal specialists from 13 countries delivered 20 speeches and discuss the importance of eco-security for the survival of all humankind and how the law can be developed and utilized in the most effective way to ensure its protection. A wide range of topics was presented on and discussed by the legal scholars participating in the forum, including the challenges concerning the protection of wildlife and protected areas in several jurisdictions, the carbon market, the implementation of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals, transboundary eco-security, the role of treaties, customary law, and the overall importance of the law and its enforcement for the safeguarding of eco-security for all people.

The consensus of the legal scholars highlighted that eco-security must be seen as a crucial element of national security and is indeed one of its most important foundations, as it directly affects all its other aspects. Hence, it must be given the highest attention and protection possible. If eco-security is not protected properly, political, social, economic, military, and public security are all compromised significantly. That applies to all nations and societies. To ensure the effective protection of eco-security, the law must constantly be developed and improved further to meet relevant challenges as effectively as possible. Of particular importance in that context are enforcement and compliance, as the law can provide general guidance to the public and institutions, but only strict enforcement ensures that it can fulfill its role properly. In order to do so, a well-equipped judiciary and enforcement mechanisms are needed to act swiftly and reliably. All penalties for violating eco-security must reflect the severity of such offences to all people and be issued swiftly by the courts. Penalties to offenders, complicit officials, and other wrongdoers must clearly outweigh any potential benefits that such offences might create for them. The law and potential punishments should be communicated clearly to the public, authorities, and the judiciary, to ensure equal and reliable justice. Crucial in this endeavour will also be the political will to ensure all of the above to ensure that the law can do its part to building eco-security for all people.

Based on this consensus, the ESSAP·International Forum on Law Science proposes to the international scientific community and colleagues from all over the world the following initiative call:

I. It calls on legal scholars and research institutions in various countries to pay close attention to the Eco-Security bottom-line necessary for the long-term survival of the children of ourselves and our own countries, and people of our own countries, and actively support and participate in NESS relevant scientific research and collaborative actions in their countries.

II. It calls on international legal scholars and research institutions to pay attention to the Eco-Security targets needed for the sustainable survival of all children and mankind around the world, form wide consensus and actively support and participate in relevant scientific research collaborations and joint actions around the theme of ESSAP. Carry out active research and publicity on the role of law in providing “Eco-Security” for mankind and provide institutional support for jointly building ESSAP!

2023 ESSAP·International Forum on Legal Science

2023.10.30

Videos of 20 speeches of legal specialists from 13 countries are available at: https://www.ness.link/h-nd-20.html#cc