Balance economic growth against sustainable environment – Nana Barima Kodie Oppong advocates - Adomonline.com

In a groundbreaking initiative towards environmental justice, Nana Barima Yaw Kodie Oppong, the Director of the Ghana School of Law, took center stage as the Chairman of a Session of the Borneo Rainforest Law Conference 2024.

Held from 26th February at the Sabah International Convention Centre in Kota Kinabalu, Sabah, Malaysia, the conference, co-hosted by the Commonwealth Lawyers Association (CLA) and the Sabah Law Society (SLS), brought together legal minds to delve into pressing issues of climate justice, human rights, funding, constitutionalism, and action within legal and governmental frameworks with the United Nation’s recently recognised environmental right as Human Right as the focal point of the discussion.

Nana Barima Kodie Oppong, serving as the Chair of the Papers Committee, demonstrated his expertise in legal matters by moderating a session on Monday, 26th February 2024, under the theme “The air that I breathe – right to a clean environment.” The session focused on the emerging recognition of the right to a clean, healthy, and sustainable environment as a fundamental aspect of human well- being and sustainable development.

In his preliminary remarks, Nana Barima Kodie Oppong asserted that long before the UN declaration of environmental right as human right Ghana’s Constitution established in 1992 had incorporated in it the recognition of right to a sustainable environment as a right worthy of protection.

The Director, alongside notable figures such as Nesha Abiraj (Co-Executive Director, Climate Right and Justice International), Karen Cheah Yee Lynn (President, Malaysia Bar), and Nkusuwila Nachawle-Mbao (Nkusuwila Nachawle Advocates), explored the intricate relationship between environmental degradation and the enjoyment of fundamental human rights

Emphasizing the intrinsic connection between environmental integrity and human dignity, Barima Kodie Oppong highlighted the moral imperative to safeguard the environment for present and future generations.

Nana Barima Kodie Oppong outlined key strategies for addressing environmental challenges, including: