Rights of Nature: cases pending before Ecuador’s Constitutional Court/Derechos de la Naturaleza: casos pendientes ante la Corte Constitucional del Ecuador

Organized and hosted by the Center for Democratic and Environmental Rights and Universidad de Guayaquil Faculty of Law

Wednesday, May 10, 2023 In Spanish, En Espanol

8:00 PM Eastern Time/7:00 PM Quito Time

Ecuador is the first country to recognize constitutional rights of nature, in 2008.

Between 2019 and 2022, the Constitutional Court -the top Court of the country- issued the first jurisprudence endowing these new rights with essential content: A total of six verdicts specifically addressing the rights of nature.

A number of cases are now pending at the Court. The goal of the Webinar is the analysis of these cases, from a Constitutional Law focus. These cases include the Río Dulcepamba, the Río Piatúa, and the case on Cuenca Alta del Río Nangaritza (addressing mining and hydropower plants). The event's purpose is to continue the legal discussion on the scope and content of these new rights.

The event is organized by CDER and Universidad de Guayaquil Faculty of Law. CDER’s Ecuador attorney, Hugo Echeverria, will join the panel with Universidad de Guayaquil Constitutional Law Professors Sandra Tapia and Roberto Gomez. The event will be moderated by the Dean of the Law School, Professor Leonel Fuentes. Italy's Centro di Ricerca EuroAmericano Sulle Politiche Costituzionali will also join us.

It is the third Webinar of its kind: Last year, CDER organized the first event with the Instituto de Altos Estudios Nacionales. In March 2023, we organized a second webinar with Universidad Técnica Particular de Loja.

Watch the webinar live! The event will be live broadcast the social media of Universidad de Guayaquil's Law School. It will be made available on their Facebook, YouTube, and via Zoom, at 847 3347 6866.