For Immediate Release
April 15, 2008

Media Contact:
Kara Tershel, (202) 662-9500

Prof. Edith Brown Weiss

WASHINGTON, D.C. – In recognition of her scholarship, public service, leadership and commitment to the field of international environmental law, Georgetown University Law Center Professor Edith Brown Weiss was presented the International Environmental Law Award by the Center for International Environmental Law (CIEL) on April 14.

"Edith Brown Weiss has made extraordinary contributions to the development and implementation of international environmental law as a scholar, teacher, government official, World Bank officer and mentor," said Daniel Magraw, president of CIEL.

Established in 2003, the International Environmental Law Award "recognizes individuals who have made outstanding contributions to the effort to achieve solutions to environmental problems through international law and institutions."  Louis B. Sohn was the first recipient of the award.

Brown Weiss, who joined the Georgetown Law faculty in 1978, is the Francis Cabell Brown Professor of International Law. Before coming to Georgetown, she was a professor at Princeton University. In 2002, Brown Weiss was appointed to the three-member independent Inspection Panel of the World Bank. She served as chairperson of the Panel from 2003-2007, a vice-presidential level appointment. The Panel responds to the concerns of those affected by Bank projects and works to ensure that the Bank adheres to its policies and procedures during the design, preparation and implementation phases.

Brown Weiss served as president of the American Society of International Law and as associate general counsel for the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, where she established the Division of International Law. She served on the board of directors of the Japanese Institute for Global Environmental Strategies, the advisory council of the National Center for Atmospheric Research, and the council of advisors to the Cousteau Society. She has also been a special legal adviser to the North American Commission on Environmental Cooperation, and served on the National Academy of Sciences Commission on Geosciences, Environment and Resources. She is a member of eight scholarly international editorial boards, including the American Journal of International Law and the Max Planck Encyclopedia of Public International Law.

Brown Weiss has published numerous articles on international and environmental law. She is the co-author of "Fresh Water and International Economic Law" (2005), "Reconciling Environment and Trade" (2001, 2008), "Engaging Countries: Strengthening Compliance with International Environmental Accords" (1998), and "International Environmental Law and Policy" (1998, 2007), and is the author of "In Fairness to Future Generations: International Law, Common Patrimony, and Intergenerational Equity" (1989), which has been translated into French, Japanese, Spanish, and Chinese, and received the Certificate of Merit Award from the American Society of International Law in 1990 for pre-eminent contribution to creative scholarship.

Brown Weiss received the ABA Award for Distinguished Achievement in Environmental Law and Policy in 2003, the Prominent Women in International Law Award from the American Society of International Law in 1996 and the Elizabeth Haub Prize for international environmental law from the Free University of Brussels and the International Council of Environmental Law (ICEL) in 1994.

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