The Casebook on Environmental Law in Uganda is a result of efforts to develop and enhance the legal and institutional framework for the management of environment in Uganda (see case study on “Capacity Building for Judicial Officers and Practitioners in Uganda,” following Guideline 41(a)
(v)). The Casebook is a compilation of judicial decisions in environmental cases from Uganda and other jurisdictions. It was compiled as part of the training materials for capacity building programmes in environmental law that were sponsored by UNEP’s Partnership for the Development of Environmental Law and Institutions in Africa (PADELIA) and other institutions.
The Casebook compiles court cases relating to various environmental topics, including: locus standi, polluter pays principle, public trust doctrine, and precautionary principle, among others. The causes of action arise from Constitutional provisions and legislation. This Casebook is meant to aid legal practitioners and judicial officers who are or may be involved in aspects of environmental law. It is also intended as a resource material on the conceptual framework utilised in interpreting environmental law. It is also meant to ease the work of academicians, practitioners, and judicial officers in finding judicial precedents on environmental law.
The Handbook on Environmental Law in Uganda guides practitioners in the theoretical and practical aspects of environmental law. The Handbook includes two basic sections: a concise summary of the principles and norms known globally, and the evolution and current practice of environmental law in Uganda. The first section of the Handbook examines the evolution of environmental law globally from religious, cultural, and historical perspectives. It also describes international legal protection of segments of the environment from a global perspective, narrating the international principles guiding the development of legal frameworks for environmental management. This illustrates the key principles that guided the development of Uganda’s’ environmental laws. The Handbook also highlights instances where Uganda’s Constitutional law has enabled the practice of environmental law.
The second section of the Handbook traces the evolution of environmental policy and law in Uganda, starting in 1985. It considers the role that the general socio-economic transformation – including reform of the major economic sectors and decentralisation – have had on the development of environmental law and policy in Uganda. The Handbook also examines the development and practice of public interest litigation and prosecution of environmental crimes in Uganda. The discussion of public interest environmental litigation highlights the central role that it has played in advancing and shaping the development and implementation of environmental law in Uganda. The Handbook concludes by analyzing Uganda’s approach to access to environmental information as a tool to environmental governance.
For more information, contact Ms. Christine Akello at cakello@nemaug.org or info@nemaug.org