Highlights
[APCEL Workshop] Biodiversity and Free Trade Agreements
International trade has been identified as one of the leading causes of biodiversity loss. Yet, little has been said about both the negative and positive effects that international trade law, and in particular innovative environmental provisions found in bilateral and regional trade agreements, can have on biodiversity. This two-day workshop features a group of young and established scholars who will kick-start this conversation by focusing on the integration of biodiversity in free trade agreements signed by Asian countries. This event is by participation only.
[Legal Opinion] International Legal Obligations of Multilateral Development Banks and their Member States in relation to Climate Change
APCEL’s Director, Dr Jolene Lin, and Dr Johanna Aleria Lorenzo, have published a legal opinion addressing the international legal obligations of financial institutions in financing development projects, which include the World Bank and the Asian Development Bank, as well as the states who are major shareholders of these banks. This is the first legal opinion of its kind, reflecting on the duties of multilateral development banks and their major shareholders in supporting efforts towards climate change mitigation when making project funding decisions. Crucially, Drs Lorenzo and Lin suggest that these parties have duties under customary international law and treaties to refrain from supporting projects that do not support decarbonization or the goals of the Paris Agreement. (Note: This legal opinion reflects the professional views of the writers in their personal capacity.)
[Working Paper] Halfway There: Indonesia's Adat Law towards Right of Nature Frameworks, Case-Based Reflections from Indonesia, the Philippines and Malaysia
APCEL Senior Research Fellow Linda Yanti Sulistiawati's paper explores Indonesia's Adat-based approach to RoN through selected case studies, and compares it with the Philippines (e.g., the recognition of resident marine mammals in the Tañon Strait Protected Seascape) and Malaysia (e.g., the Sabah Nature Conservation Agreement). The study highlights the potential of Indonesia's existing Adat framework to evolve into a more robust system of environmental protection. It recommends legal reforms to formally recognise ecosystems as legal persons, enhance the integration of Adat law into national legislation, and promote judicial capacity-building on RoN principles.
[APCEL Workshop] Past and Future Legal Strategies for the ICJ Advisory Opinion on Climate Change
The ICJ Advisory Opinion on state responsibilities for climate change signifies a historic moment for climate justice. Accordingly, there is value in following the development of legal concepts, ideas, and procedures from the campaign for the Advisory Opinion, in order to provide a basis for the legal and environmental community to think about how past legal strategies can inform future ones. This two-day workshop offers a necessary perspective from the legal communities and movement behind the Advisory Opinion on how international law has addressed and will continue to address climate change as an existential problem of planetary proportions.
[Policy Brief] Exploring a Just Transition in Southeast Asia
In October 2025, APCEL hosted a conference that brought together experts from academia, civil society, business, and government for three panel discussions on localising Just Transition, legal frameworks, and financing. The conference emphasised people-centred policies, stronger legal and governance systems, and rights-based, socially inclusive finance. Priorities include locally grounded justice pathways, robust environmental institutions, and aligned financial frameworks supporting communities and livelihoods. APCEL Senior Research Fellow Linda Yanti Sulistiawati, Visiting Researcher Ghislaine Naduad and Research Associate Yang Huiwen summarises the proceedings in this policy brief.
