University of Malawi Professor Chikosa Banda visited Maryland Carey Law to continue developing the law school’s new Legal Theory and Practice course: “Environmental Justice, Human Rights and Public Health,” launching in the Spring 2020 semester. The course will be co-taught by Maryland Carey Law Professors Robert Percival, Peter Danchin, and Diane Hoffman along with Prof. Banda, and non-profit attorneys working in Malawi. The new course will be offered to both Maryland Carey Law and Malawi students through on on-line seminar “room.” The course will focus on current environmental, public health, and human rights issues facing Malawi. Maryland-Malawi student teams will develop project proposals for the University of Malawi’s Environmental Law Clinic. Students who take the course will have the opportunity to travel to Malawi at the end of the semester to help implement their project proposals.
In addition to developing the course and giving a lecture to Maryland Carey Law students during his visit, Prof. Banda also contributed to the roll out of a new grass roots environmental movement, I Am Climate Justice at the Elisabeth Haub School of Law at Pace University. The I Am Climate Justice Movement, begun by world-renowned environmental lawyer and activist Tony Oposa, is designed to engage youth from around the world to encourage nations to sign a United Nations General Assembly petition for the International Court of Justice to address a simple question: “Under international law, and in the face of the climate crisis, what are the duties of states to future generations?” Professor Banda addressed volunteer student activists regarding the importance of both the movement and the answer to this important question.
Professor Chikosa Banda’s travel and the creation of the Malawi Legal Theory and Practice course was made possible thanks to the generosity of The David and Leslie Glickman Interprofessional Health Law Fund.
Pictured above: Chikosa Banda addresses student volunteers with Tony Oposa (standing at right).