Centre for International Sustainable Development Law

Sustainable development law refers to emerging substantive body of legal instruments, norms, and treaties supported by distinctive procedural elements.

As such, sustainable development can be considered part of the 'object and purpose' of a growing number of treaties and therefore directly relevant in the interpretation of their provisions.

The concept appears, often as an objective or preambular reference, in most international statements and declarations related to environmental, social, and economic issues since the 1992 Rio de Janeiro Earth Summit.

Sustainable development requires accommodation, reconciliation and integration between economic growth, social justice (including human rights) and environmental protection objectives, towards participatory improvement in collective quality of life for the benefit of both present and future generations.

[17] CISDL members include learned jurists and scholars from all regions of the world, and a diversity of legal traditions.

The CISDL offers, in partnership with ILA Canadian Branch, an online course in international law for lawyers seeking to accomplish Continuing Legal Education credits.

The course offers 25 hours of related in-depth online training on international law which can be completed from anywhere in the world.

[18] In 2011, in partnership with ILA, IDLO and LCIL, the CISDL launched a new pilot website on sustainable development law.

It also includes direct links to the decisions from economic, social and human rights and international public law courts and tribunals that have applied sustainable development principles in the resolution of disputes between 1992 and 2012.