2013 International Environmental Law Award Recipient – John E. Scanlon

The Center for International Environmental Law today announced that it has awarded the 2013 International Environmental Law Award to John E. Scanlon, Secretary General of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES). The annual award recognizes individuals who have made outstanding contributions to the effort to achieve solutions to environmental problems through international law and institutions.

Mr. Scanlon is honored for his lifelong contributions to safeguarding environmental integrity and human rights in the management of river basins and dams, to the understanding of the indispensable role of public participation in international environmental governance, and for his ongoing leadership of CITES.

“Mr. Scanlon has made significant contributions to our understanding of the intersecting legal, ethical and environmental dimensions–and values–that must inform water governance in the 21st century and beyond,” said CIEL President Carroll Muffett. He also noted Mr. Scanlon’s leadership on environmental law within the International Union for Conservation of Nature and on internal reform efforts within the United Nations Environment Programme, which have helped shape the emerging understanding of international environmental governance as a complex and evolving network of standards, institutions and processes, in which both political will and public engagement play an essential role. In June 2011, Mr. Scanlon was awarded the Member of the Order of Australia for his service to environmental law nationally and internationally.

As CITES celebrates its 40th year, the award also recognizes Mr. Scanlon’s role in fostering a maturing understanding of the Convention and in the recognition of CITES’ central role in achieving long term goals for the conservation of biological diversity. “While many actors–States, organizations, and individuals alike–have contributed to CITES’ success over the past four decades, Mr. Scanlon’s leadership has positioned the Convention to play a critical role at the nexus of biodiversity, development and trade for decades to come,” added Muffett.

Past recipients of CIEL’s International Environmental Law award include Francoise Burhenne-Guilmin, Wolfgang Burhenne, Edith Brown Weiss and, most recently, Justice Christopher Weeramantry.