The UIA Sustainability Project

The UIA Sustainability Project is an informal working group of UIA’s members to be recognised for their outstanding efforts to help the environment and promote sustainability. Among others, this group has produced the Resolution on Sustainability and the role of the Legal Profession, the Best Practice Sustainability Principles for Law Firms and the UIA internal Sustainability Guidelines.

The UIA Sustainability Project is an informal working group of UIA’s members, coordinated by Carlo Mastellone, whose names are: Luis Fernando Macías (President, Environment Law and Sustainable Development Commission), Carlos de Miguel Perales (Vice-President, Environment Law and Sustainable Development Commission), Yolanda Eisenstein (President, Animal Law Commission), Arianna Righi (President, In-House Counsels Commission), Alexis Brunet (In-House Counsels Commission) Anibal Sabater (President, The Future of the Lawyer Commission),  François Moyse (Director – Rule of Law), Etienne Lesage (President, Criminal Law Commission), Elisabeth Sioufi (President, Women’s Committee), Barbara Gislason (Editor-in-Chief, Juriste International), Elena Borsacchi (Deputy Director – Publications), Marie-Christine Cimadevilla (Co-Director of Communication), Yoshihisa Hayakawa (Counsellor to the President), Ashu Thakur (Counsellor to the President), Pedro Pais de Almeida (UIA President of Honour) and  Aleksandra Penkowska.

This group should be commended for dedicating huge efforts to producing the following three outstanding documents:
• the Resolution on Sustainability and the role of the Legal Profession, approved by the General Assembly of the UIA at its annual Congress held in Rome on October 25, 2023 ( ), which emphasises the importance of the legal profession in promoting sustainability, human rights, and the Rule of Law, as well as recognizes the urgency of sustainable development, environmental protection, and the intersection of these issues with the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals,
• the Best Practice Sustainability Principles for Law Firms ( ) and
• the UIA internal Sustainability Guidelines.

Luis Fernando Macías (President, Environment Law and Sustainable Development Commission) is a legal professional who has made an exceptional contribution to various environmental and sustainability issues. In particular, he:
• was the first head of the Legal Office of the Ministry of the Environment of Colombia (1994 – 1997);
• founded the first Colombian firm dedicated exclusively to corporate environmental law, and since then has been advising companies on adequate compliance with environmental and sustainability regulations;
• has been, and continues to be, a professor in various topics of Environmental Law (protected areas, history of Colombian environmental law, environmental licenses) in several Colombian universities, such as Universidad Externado de Colombia, Universidad del Rosario, Universidad del Norte (Barranquilla), and Universidad Jorge Tadeo Lozano;
• has been since 1997 the President of the Colombian Institute of Environmental Law and Sustainable Development;
• has been a consultant to the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime on projects on legislation to control trafficking in species of fauna and flora in 2023;
• has been invited as an expert to intervene before the Constitutional Court of Colombia in cases of conflicts between ethnic communities and projects on emission certificates in 2023;
• has published books and articles on political philosophy and environmental law, especially on topics related to environmental damage, environmental licenses, nature as a subject of law and corporate environmental law;
• has participated as a speaker in various events on topics about environmental law, both in Colombia and in other countries.

Carlos de Miguel Perales (Vice-President, Environment Law and Sustainable Development Commission) is a legal professional who has made outstanding efforts to help the environment and promote sustainability. In particular, he:
• created the Environmental Law practice at the leading Ibero-American firm Uría Menéndez, and since then has been advising companies around the world on proper compliance with environmental and sustainability regulations;
• has been, and continues to be, university professor of Environmental Law and Sustainability for both law students and students of other disciplines in which the environment and sustainability is relevant (engineering, transport, etc.);
• has helped, in the academic area, interested students in the preparation of works on environmental issues, as well as in the dissemination to society about some of these issues, such as those related to the energy transition;
• has published three books and numerous articles on environmental and sustainability issues, ranging from a comprehensive explanation of environmental law to specific issues (such as, among many others, contaminated soils or environmental crimes);
• has participated on numerous occasions in collective books to include environmental and sustainability aspects, thus contributing to a better knowledge of the rules in this area;
• has been making explicit the connection between the environment, sustainability and human rights;
• has participated in numerous events (conferences, seminars, round tables, etc.) on the most varied issues of environmental law and sustainability, facilitating the dissemination of these issues among the general public, and their connection with human rights;
• has advised public authorities on the drafting of environmental and sustainability rules, such as on contaminated soil and water, and civil liability for environmental damage.

The outstanding efforts made by the UIA Sustainability Project to help the environment are summarized in the following words of Yolanda Eisenstein (President, Animal Law Commission): “my work with Carlo Mastellone on his sustainability project was very rewarding. The UIA has a resolution and guidelines for UIA members. The Animal Law Commission is following those guidelines in the coordination of our animal law conference in July in New York”. Yolanda’s commitments to help the environment and promote sustainability are clear: “I think, in general, the work that I do in animal law is naturally connected to a desire to protect the environment and promote sustainability. Loss of biodiversity, wildlife extinction, and current agriculture practices are contributing to an unsustainable planet and are all related to our treatment of animals. This will be the message in several of our sessions at our conference. In my personal life, I incorporate sustainable practices and volunteer for organizations that care about the environment. I serve on the Santa Fe Bicycle and Pedestrian Advisory Committee, which advises the city leaders on how to make the city bike and pedestrian friendly, hence more sustainable”.

By Paolo Lombardi
Partner - ELEXI Studio Legale
Torino - Italy
Past President, UIA Private International Law Commission