UoN’s CASELAP among Networks Providing Solutions to Global Challenges
The University’s Centre for Advanced Studies in Environmental Law & Policy (CASELAP) is among twenty global networks recently launched to tackle global challenges.
Funded by UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) through the Global Challenges Research Fund, CASELAP is set to develop practical solutions to address issues such as the prevalence of single-use plastic in Kenya while the other networks will tackle hurricane recovery in the Caribbean and water management across Africa among others.
The GCRF Plastics Pollution Governance Framework Network, led by CASELAP’s Professor Nicholas Oguge, will explore all aspects of plastic use, from the composition of plastics that are imported across Africa to the slum communities who make a livelihood from selling and cleaning discarded plastics.
The network will explore how plastic waste can be better managed across the continent, and how it could be integrated into a circular economy that uses and reuses waste products to deliver economic benefits.
Professor Oguge said: “We are getting the right people together to bring the problems and potential solutions to the surface. We will then work together to develop plastic waste governance at all levels.
“By looking at plastics as part of the circular economy, this GCRF network offers an exciting and important chance to join academics, industry and community groups to improve social structures for our citizens. If plastic waste can be incorporated into a circular economy, then it is no longer waste but part of a sustainable solution that can provide employment.” He added.
Professor Andrew Thompson, UKRI International Champion, said: “Equal partnerships are the cornerstone of the Global Challenges Research Fund – with researchers from the UK working alongside researchers from developing countries to share ideas and expertise to solve global challenges.
“These new networks have equitability at their heart and are led by researchers from across Africa, Asia, South America and Europe. They’ve been driven by the challenges faced across these regions and bring together diverse teams to identify practical, sustainable and scalable solutions that will improve the lives of many disadvantaged communities worldwide.”
The network demonstrates the global, collaborative scope of the Global Engagement Networks, as researchers will be working with academics and businesses from across Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania, Ethiopia, Rwanda and Malawi, as well as in the UK, Denmark, Sweden and the Caribbean.
CASELAP continues to provide leadership in research and teaching by collaborating with world class organizations and scholars around the world. To find out more about CASELAP’s research activities and programs click here.
