CCJ President Says Environmental Issues Now More Relevant in Law

PARAMARIBO, Suriname - President of the Caribbean Court of Justice (CCJ), Justice Winston Anderson says environmental issues are becoming increasingly relevant in law because they are directly related to human action.

President of the Caribbean Court of Justice (CCJ), Justice Winston Anderson, is greeted on arrival at the Faculty of Legal Sciences of Anton de Kom UniversityAnderson, who is leading a delegation from the Trinidad-based court to Suriname, made the disclosure while participating in a symposium organised at the Faculty of Legal Sciences of Anton de Kom University in connection with the 50th anniversary of Srefidens, under the theme “50 Years of Law, Governance, and Security: Then, Now, and Beyond…”.

Justice Anderson, who  assumed the presidency of the region’s highest court in July this year, said on the issue of environmental matters becoming increasing relevant in law “there’s still debate about this, but we clearly see a link between, for example, the increase in greenhouse gases and global warming and climate change”.

He made reference to the passage of Hurricane Melissa in the Caribbean region last week, resulting in deaths and widespread damage in Jamaica, Haiti, Cuba, the Bahamas and Bermuda.

“Aid from the richer countries that produce the greenhouse gases that warm the planet is a moral and psychological issue, but internationally, the question is now also being asked whether this can be interpreted legally.

“We are looking at ways to argue this legally, to actually obtain aid to repair the damage caused,” said the CCJ president.

The event which was held on Tuesday, will continue on Friday covering topics such as integrated safety, cybersecurity, maritime law in relation to oil and gas, and forensic criminology.

Justice Anderson’s visit to the university was part of his programme to complete the CCJ’s Referral Training Session with the Surinamese Bar Association.

On Monday, the CCJ delegation paid a courtesy call on the Justice and Police Minister (Juspol), Harish Monorath, with Justice Saunders presenting him with a copy of the CCJ Original Jurisdiction Rules 2024, which have been translated into Dutch.

A statement issued by Juspol said that during the meeting a manual outlining the steps to be followed from the Surinamese court to the CCJ had also been translated.