In-person: Theatre, AERL Building, UBC Vancouver or Online: ZOOM (RSVP required)
Speaker: Dr. Soo-Young Hwang, Practitioner Fellow, UBC SPPGA
The ocean sustains life on Earth, yet its ecosystems and the communities that rely on them are under severe threat from climate change. Rising sea levels, ocean acidification, and biodiversity loss are not only environmental crises but also human rights challenges —impacting a wide range of human rights including rights to life, food, health, housing as well as the right to a healthy environment, particularly for coastal communities and fisheries.
This presentation will outline why a human rights-based approach is critical for ocean governance and climate action. Such an approach strengthens accountability, empowers people, and ensures that environmental policies protect both people and ecosystems. Drawing on lessons from United Nations official missions to Fiji and Indonesia, it will highlight how coastal communities and fisheries are disproportionately affected by climate change. The presentation will also demonstrate how people including “ocean defenders” are using human rights framework to claim their rights and catalyze action. The session will conclude with reflections on steps needed to secure ocean and environmental protection and safeguard human rights.
Speaker bio: Dr. Soo-Young Hwang is a Practitioner Fellow at the School of Public Policy and Global Affairs (SPPGA) at the University of British Columbia for Fall 2025. She is currently on leave from her role as Legal Officer at the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) to pursue research and advise students at SPPGA on environmental rights and governance, among others. She played a key role in the UN’s recognition of the right to a healthy environment and continues to support governments, civil society, and UN entities in advancing its implementation. Since joining the UN in 2012, her work has focused on advancing environmental justice and embedding human rights in environmental law, policy and practice.