Three overseas non-governmental organizations (NGOs) — the Bangladesh Environmental Lawyers Association (BELA), Colombia-based Dejusticia, and Lebanon-based The Legal Agenda — have won this year’s Tang Prize for their significant contributions to the rule of law, the Tang Prize Selection Committee announced yesterday.
The NGOs were given the prize “for their efforts in furthering the rule of law and its institutions through education and advocacy,” according to the award citation released by the Tang Prize Foundation.
The organizations have shown exemplary perseverance in promoting greater individual, social and environmental justice in areas where the foundations of the rule of law are severely challenged, the foundation said.
Photo: CNA
Established in 1992, BELA is dedicated to promoting environmental justice and developing sound environmental jurisprudence in Bangladesh, the committee said in a statement.
The NGO promotes “rule of law and environmental justice through public interest litigation, advocacy, research and publication, as well as capacity-building for actors in the public sector and civil society,” the committee said.
BELA has initiated more than 250 public interest lawsuits and advocated for legislative reform on environmental justice.
Among the issues it has covered are river pollution, industrial pollution, vehicular pollution, illegal construction, labor welfare, illegal mining, wetland protection, prevention of soil erosion, reduction of plastic use, and prevention of ship pollution, the committee said.
The association was in June 2003 listed on the UN Environment Program’s Global 500 Roll of Honor for generating broader awareness about environmental law and environmental justice.
In 2009, BELA chief executive Syeda Rizwana Hasan was awarded the Goldman Environmental Prize for her public interest work in environmental conservation.
Sharing the Tang Prize is the research and advocacy organization Dejusticia, which was founded in 2005 and has made important contributions to the rule of law with its relentless campaigns, the committee said.
Dejusticia “efficiently combines rigorous academic research with energetic social action on human rights issues,” and is “deeply committed to social change through activism informed by research,” the committee said.
The organization aims to strengthen rule of law through litigation, notably filing and winning landmark cases on sensitive issues such as discrimination (race and gender), indigenous peoples’ rights, the rights of refugees, transitional justice and environmental degradation, the committee said.
It said that the group has litigated cases in Colombian courts and in international legal forums across Latin America.
The Legal Agenda, established in 2009, has “successfully strengthened judicial independence and the rule of law in Lebanon through a multidisciplinary approach,” the committee said.
Its main activities include monitoring the functions of the judiciary, advocating for legislative change and promoting a stronger societal fabric in support of judicial independence, it said.
The organization speaks for marginalized groups and promotes legal protection for migrant workers, refugees, LGBT groups, and the families of victims of forced disappearances, the committee said.
It has also done significant work in promoting social awareness about the protection of rights and the rule of law, the committee said, adding that its pioneering approach has expanded beyond Lebanon to other Arab countries.
The Tang Prize was established by Taiwanese businessman and philanthropist Samuel Yin (尹衍樑), chairman of the Ruentex Group, and was first awarded in 2014.
Every two years, the Tang Prize celebrates achievers in four fields — sustainable development, biopharmaceutical science, Sinology and rule of law.
A week-long program revolving around the award ceremony is to begin on Sept. 20.
Taiwan would benefit from more integrated military strategies and deployments if the US and its allies treat the East China Sea, the Taiwan Strait and the South China Sea as a “single theater of operations,” a Taiwanese military expert said yesterday. Shen Ming-shih (沈明室), a researcher at the Institute for National Defense and Security Research, said he made the assessment after two Japanese military experts warned of emerging threats from China based on a drill conducted this month by the Chinese People’s Liberation Army’s (PLA) Eastern Theater Command. Japan Institute for National Fundamentals researcher Maki Nakagawa said the drill differed from the
‘WORSE THAN COMMUNISTS’: President William Lai has cracked down on his political enemies and has attempted to exterminate all opposition forces, the chairman said The legislature would motion for a presidential recall after May 20, Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Chairman Eric Chu (朱立倫) said yesterday at a protest themed “against green communists and dictatorship” in Taipei. Taiwan is supposed to be a peaceful homeland where people are united, but President William Lai (賴清德) has been polarizing and tearing apart society since his inauguration, Chu said. Lai must show his commitment to his job, otherwise a referendum could be initiated to recall him, he said. Democracy means the rule of the people, not the rule of the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP), but Lai has failed to fulfill his
OFF-TARGET: More than 30,000 participants were expected to take part in the Games next month, but only 6,550 foreign and 19,400 Taiwanese athletes have registered Taipei city councilors yesterday blasted the organizers of next month’s World Masters Games over sudden timetable and venue changes, which they said have caused thousands of participants to back out of the international sporting event, among other organizational issues. They also cited visa delays and political interference by China as reasons many foreign athletes are requesting refunds for the event, to be held from May 17 to 30. Jointly organized by the Taipei and New Taipei City governments, the games have been rocked by numerous controversies since preparations began in 2020. Taipei City Councilor Lin Yen-feng (林延鳳) said yesterday that new measures by
A rally held by opposition parties yesterday demonstrates that Taiwan is a democratic country, President William Lai (賴清德) said yesterday, adding that if opposition parties really want to fight dictatorship, they should fight it on Tiananmen Square in Beijing. The Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) held a protest with the theme “against green communists and dictatorship,” and was joined by the Taiwan People’s Party. Lai said the opposition parties are against what they called the “green communists,” but do not fight against the “Chinese communists,” adding that if they really want to fight dictatorship, they should go to the right place and face