Justice Singh Highlights the Importance of a Responsive Judiciary and Coordination of the Justice Sector in Environmental Protection
August 1, 2023
Supreme Court Justice Maria Filomena D. Singh (standing, sixth from left) joins the other legal and technical experts on environmental protection in launching the Model Forest Act Initiative, a global initiative to draft a Model Forest Act to guide jurisdictions in enacting legislation that will not only protect forests, but also ensure its development and growth for future generations, at the Millennium Hilton New York at One UN Plaza, New York City on July 17, 2023. (Photo courtesy of Asian Development Bank)
Supreme Court Associate Justice Maria Filomena D. Singh participated in the 5-day Event held in New York City and organized by the Asian Development Bank, in cooperation with the Global Judicial Institute on the Environment (GJIE), the United Nations Environment Programme, and the World Jurist Association.
Drawing from her experience in the judiciary, Justice Singh highlighted the importance of a responsive judiciary in ensuring the protection and preservation of the environment. Justice Singh then shared how the Supreme Court of the Philippines has responded to the call for environmental protection and forest preservation, through the development of modern judicial remedies, such as the writ of kalikasan, the writ of continuing mandamus, and the environmental protection order.
Justice Singh added that aside from judicial responsiveness, coordination between the relevant members of the justice sector is equally important to ensure that the environmental rule of law is strengthened. Justice Singh shared that the Philippines tackles issues within the justice sector, which includes environmental justice, through the Justice Sector Coordinating Council (JSCC), a platform for a coordinated and strategic approach for members of the justice sector. Justice Singh also unveiled the plan of the JSCC to launch the first green justice zone, a specialty justice zone designed to tackle pressing environmental issues within its jurisdiction.
During the 5-day Event, Associate Justice Singh was joined by other legal and technical experts on environmental protection in launching the Model Forest Act Initiative (MFAI), a global initiative to draft a Model Forest Act to guide jurisdictions in enacting legislation that will not only protect forests, but also ensure its development and growth for future generations. The launch was held at the Millennium Hilton New York at One UN Plaza.
On July 19, 2023, Justice Singh was inducted as a Member of the GJIE Governing Council and joined her first Governing Council Meeting. The GJIE is a global task force composed of actively sitting judges organized to ensure judicial independence, transparency, and integrity of judiciaries around the world in order to effectively handle environmental cases, by providing opportunities to exchange information, creating partnerships for collaboration, capacity-building, and providing research and analysis on topics important for environmental adjudication, court practices, and the environmental rule of law.
On July 20, 2023, Justice Singh participated as a panelist in the high level side event of the United Nations during the World Law Congress hosted by the World Jurist Association, where she discussed the challenges and trends in Judicial Implementation of the Environmental Rule of Law, and ways of making the abstract concepts of environmental law more felt and relatable in the daily lives of the citizenry. (Courtesy of the Office of Associate Justice Maria Filomena D. Singh)
Supreme Court Associate Justice Maria Filomena D. Singh (center) joins her first meeting as a Member of the Global Judicial Institute on the Environment Governing Council on July 19, 2023 in New York City. (Photo courtesy of Asian Development Bank)
Supreme Court Associate Justice Maria Filomena D. Singh (center) joins her first meeting as a Member of the Global Judicial Institute on the Environment Governing Council on July 19, 2023 in New York City. (Photo courtesy of Asian Development Bank)