Current Projects
Mission Statement
Rationale
Recent institutional and legal developments in the international arena provide opportunities to promote the public interest in the areas of environmental conservation and human health. One of the critical challenges of civil society is to utilize those opportunities and make a difference at the grassroots level. Public Interest Defenders International (IPID), a not-for-profit international non-governmental organization, was established to respond to that challenge.
Purpose
IPID is dedicated to promoting the public interest in the areas of environmental conservation and human health by using international legal instruments and institutions for beneficial change.
Guiding principles
Governments do not always serve the public interest.
It is the shared responsibility of citizens, governments and corporations to conserve the environment and promote human health.
The public interest environmental conservation and promotion of human health transcends social, political and cultural systems
The broadest participation of stakeholders, decentralization, diversity, accountability and transparency serves the public interest best.
It is a fundamental right of grassroots stakeholders to have their concerns addressed in respect of their interests.
How IPID achieves its purpose
IPID assists in exposing individual cases, involving state or non-state parties whose actions, damage the environment and threaten the health and safety of individuals and communities; and
IPID facilitates access to international and regional courts, tribunals, commissions, committees and other institutions to serve the grassroots; and
IPID disseminates information to raise public awareness about international and national laws and policies as well as widely applicable legal and administrative precedents concerning environmental conservation and the promotion of human health.
What makes IPID different?
IPID is the only not-for-profit international non-governmental organisation exclusively devoted to empowering the grassroots to play a meaningful role at the international and regional level through facilitating access to justice involving environmental conservation and promotion of human health; and
IPID is a global centre of expertise on international access to justice and good governance, bringing together a large number of grassroots activists, professionals and international experts in an integrated approach.
Strategy 1
To facilitate individual cases, to be brought before international and regional courts, tribunals, commissions, committees, quasi-judicial, administrative and other institutions which have the potential to promote the public interest in the areas of environmental conservation and promotion of human health.
Activities
Render advice and opinions to public interest activists and professionals on public interest legal and scientific issues relating to environmental conservation and human health.
In close collaboration with public interest activists and professionals to file cases and amicus briefs and if requested represent them before international courts, tribunals and institutions.
Facilitate monitoring and assessment of developments in the field of public interest law and science relating to environmental conservation and human health, as well as the enforcement of judgments, opinions, recommendations and other remedies of the above mentioned bodies.
Strategy 2
To build human and institutional capacity of activists and professionals working in the public interest for environmental conservation and promotion of human health so as to empower them to access and utilize international and regional institutions and mechanisms.
Activities
To collate and disseminate to public interest activists and professionals, in appropriate form, information relating to international instruments, mechanisms and institutions.
To afford training opportunities to activists and professionals working in the area of environmental conservation and human health through partnership activities, internships, fellowships and in-house hands-on training.
To train public interest activists and professionals in order to develop a network of trainers at the community, national and regional levels.
Strategy 3
To develop protective mechanisms in order to safeguard the security and liberty of activists and professionals working in the public interest for environmental conservation and promotion of human health.
Activities
In close collaboration with others, protect and defend the security and liberty of activists and professionals working in the public interest for environmental conservation and promotion of human health against any form of coercion, intimidation and interference and other violations of their human rights.
Act as a liaison between activists working in the public interest for environmental conservation and human health and the Special Representative of the United Nations Secretary General for Human Rights Defenders, international organizations, and other human rights organizations.
Mobilize international support for activists and professionals whose liberty and security are threatened.
Strategy 4
To mobilize resources for facilitating public interest activists and professionals, working in the areas of environmental conservation and promotion of human health, to play a meaningful role at international and regional levels.
Activities
To develop and establish partnerships with non-governmental organizations, activists and professionals to create networks to accomplish Strategies 1-3 above.
To secure adequate financial resources through donors for developing projects in the areas of environmental conservation and promotion of human health at country and regional levels to accomplish Strategies 1-3 above.
To identify and collaborate with global and regional experts to accomplish Strategies 1-3 above.