A two-day seminar for state officials on climate change law and policy was recently held at the Ilia State University Institute of Alpine Ecology in Stephantsminda, Georgia, ENPI reported
The event, organised in cooperation with the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) through the EU-funded forestry programme ENPI FLEG, was specifically targeted at senior- and mid-level Georgian government employees who deal with climate change-related issues in their work.
Topics covered included the basics of international climate change law and policy and its implications for Georgia, the role of climate change law in public international law, environmental law and the foundations for a climate change legal system and environmentally displaced persons. According to a press release, issues were also linked to energy and sustainable development law and policy in Georgia.
The event was developed and conducted as part of an initiative to support the incorporation of climate change issues in higher education curricula in the South Caucasus countries. It was agreed that American and Georgian professors would cooperate in developing a one-semester interdisciplinary course on Foundations of International Environmental and Climate Change Law, to be offered by the Ilia State University.
"Stabilization of forest ecosystems and enhancing forest stewardship is essential to both mitigation of climate change effects, through the photosynthesis provided by trees and other forest flora, and for the adaptation to the effects of climate change, as climate alters forest habitats. Both dimensions rely on best management practices by governments, civil society and private economic interests," said IUCN Regional Director for Europe Hans Friederich.
The €6 million ENPI Forest Law Enforcement and Governance (FLEG) programme supports governments, civil society and the private sector in the development of sound and sustainable forest management practices, including the prevention of illegal forestry activities.