The Conference is organized by the United Nations Institute for Training and Research (UNITAR) and Yale University, in collaboration with the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe (Secretariat of the Aarhus Convention on Access to Information, Public Participation in Decision-making and Access to Justice in Environmental Matters), the University of Cape Town, the French Institute of Forestry, Agricultural and Environmental Engineering (ENGREF-AgroParisTech), the World Resources Institute (WRI), and the Stakeholder Forum for a Sustainable Future. Financial support for the event is provided through the UNITAR Programme on Environmental Governance and Democracy, the Edward J. and Dorothy Clarke Kempf Fund of the MacMillan Center at Yale, and the Oscar M. Ruebhausen Fund of Yale Law School.

Discussions will cover various levels of environmental governance, including international, national, regional, local, and corporate governance. Participants will take stock of contemporary research and knowledge gaps at the intersection of institutions, public participation and environmental sustainability.

Scholars and practitioners interested in participating in the event and submitting a paper should submit an Expression of Interest Form by 25 January 2008. The deadline to submit a synopsis for a Case Study Paper is 31 January 2008.