About the University

The University of Antwerp (UAntwerp), Belgium, offers a vibrant academic community dedicated to social justice and global impact. UAntwerp boasts a diverse student body with over 20% international students, fostering a cross-cultural learning environment. The University of Antewerp boasts Dedicated Research Centers like the Centre for Migration & Intercultural Studies (MESA) and the Antwerp Centre for Public Law (Public Law Institute) which tackle pressing issues like migration rights and social inequalities. It offers specialized Programs such as the Master of Sustainable Development and Global Justice or the Master of Human Rights, delving deep into global challenges and their legal frameworks. It’s engaged professors actively contribute to policy and social change initiatives, offering you invaluable real-world insights.

The Law and Development Research Group

The Law and Development research group unites researchers who study the role of law in enhancing human dignity and global justice, between and within States in North and South. The group takes a critical approach to law, and seeks to investigate what law actually ‘does’ in society, amongst others, through interdisciplinary and empirical research. It was founded in 2006, as one of the research groups of the faculty of law at the University of Antwerp. The Group runs an annual teaching programme on Sustainable Development and Global Justice.

About the Law and Development Research Network

The LDRN seeks to enhance knowledge and understanding of the role of law, both domestic and international, in relation to development and governance, as perceived globally and locally, and is therefore concerned with the social functioning of legal systems primarily in the context of countries in the Global South. It envisages that the LDRN community will engage in fruitful discussions from both orthodox and critical perspectives on the role of law in development.
The LDRN was launched at the Law and Development Conference at the University of Antwerp in September 2017 by the partner institutions.

About the Co-Lead Researcher

Dr. Tomaso Ferrando is Research Professor at the Faculty of Law and Institute of Development Policy, UA. He holds a Phd in law from Sciences Po University (Paris) and has been visiting a fellow at Harvard University Law School, University of Sao Paulo and the University of Cape Town. Before joining the University of Antwerp, he worked as a Lecturer in Law at the Universities of Warwick School of Law and at the University of Bristol Law School. Tomaso researches two main areas: the link between law and food, with particular attention to the international dimension (trade, investments and the human right to food) and the implementation of local practices; the socio-legal construction of green finance and green debt as a new/old form of responding to the climate crises that combines the instrument of debt with the desire of building sustainable and green futures. Outside of academia, Tomaso has been the legal advisor of the UN Special Rapporteur on the Right to Food from 2016 to 2020. He is a member of the Legal Committee of the Global Legal Action Network (glanlaw.org) and the Extraterritorial Obligation Consortium (ETOc). He acts as consultant and pro-bono advocate in questions relating to the right to food and food policies. In the last years he has been cooperating with the International Panel of Experts on Sustainable Food Systems (IPES-Food) and contributed to the formulation of a EU Common Food policy (to replace the Common Agricultural Policy). He was an active member of both Feeding Coventry and Feeding Bristol, two multidisciplinary stakeholder projects that aim at tackling the roots of food poverty by involving public administrators, private sector and civil society.

Get Connected

In the tumultuous aftermath of disasters, it is easy to feel isolated and alone, but you are not.

We, a network of Caribbean-wide community organizers who stand in solidarity with those affected the twin threats of the climate crises and disaster capitalism, a phenomenon that exacerbates the suffering of vulnerable communities.

We want you to know that your stories matter. We are here to listen, to support, and to amplify your voices.

We believe that together, we can challenge the forces of disaster capitalism and advocate for more sustainable, inclusive and equitable decision-making.

Join us in solidarity. Share your experiences and let’s build strong communities that thrive together.

Offer Suppport

As the wider world braces for the climate change, Caribbean communities are already struggling with its effects. Small local communities, small scale farmers and coastal communities are disproportionately affected. Political decisions, power dynamics and laws often compound the catastrophes and silence bottom up solutions.

There are ways in which you can help.

Responses

Barbuda

Belize

Cayman Islands

Colombia

Grenada

Haiti

Puerto Rico

Challenges

Barbuda

Belize

Cayman Islands

Colombia

Grenada

Haiti

Jamaica

Puerto Rico

Partners

Legal Associates

Institutional Support