Impact Makers: Prof. Marie-Claire Cordonier Segger

NAME

Marie-Claire Cordonier Segger

TITLE

Chair in Sustainable Development Law and Policy, Lucy Cavendish College, University of Cambridge; Senior Director, Centre for International Sustainable Development Law (CISDL); Executive Secretary, Climate Law and Governance Initiative (CLGI)

LOCATION

Montreal, Canada / Cambridge, United Kingdom

ABOUT

Prof. Marie-Claire Cordonier Segger is a leading figure in climate law and sustainability governance, with over two decades of experience shaping the legal foundations of climate action through international legal, academic, and policy communities.

Her leadership has helped build global capacity in climate law and sustainable development, through initiatives like the Climate Law and Governance Day at COP, the Voices of Future Generations Children’s Rights Initiative, and specialized law courses that have engaged and trained over 32,000 current and future law and policy leaders worldwide. Marie-Claire is also instrumental in guiding legal innovation through academic and advisory roles, including at the University of Cambridge and the International Law Association.

Across each of these platforms, she champions the voices of underrepresented communities and future generations, arguing that legal frameworks must protect both people and planet, not just today, but far into the future.

MOTIVATIONS

“Courage, creativity and a commitment to global sustainability and justice, coupled with the determination to defend those who are voiceless in today’s law and policymaking, including all other species on earth and future generations... and a streak of wildly unrealistic optimism.”

IMPACT

Before

• Climate law was underdeveloped and fragmented across jurisdictions, with limited capacity to implement frameworks aligned with the Paris Agreement and SDGs.

• Many countries lacked trained climate law and governance specialists, and legal expertise was often absent from UNFCCC negotiations.

• Youth and future generations had few opportunities to contribute to law and policy for sustainability.

• Collaboration between legal, academic, and policy institutions was minimal, with few platforms for sharing knowledge or best practice.

After

• CLGI has engaged and trained over 32,000 current and future law and policy leaders in more than 180 countries through its online courses and climate law capacity registry, helping to close the global expertise gap.

• Its annual Climate Law and Governance Day has brought legal voices into the centre of COP negotiations.

• New legal frameworks and innovations are helping countries deliver on the Paris Agreement and Sustainable Development Goals.

• Initiatives like Voices of Future Generations and Democratising Education for Global Sustainability and Justice have expanded rights-based education and inclusion in climate law and governance.

• A global network of universities, international organizations, NGOs, law firms and governments now collaborates on justice-driven climate law and governance.

CHALLENGES

A lack of climate law and governance specialists, especially in low-income and climate vulnerable countries, posed a major hurdle. Through tailored training programmes and international courses, Marie-Claire and CLGI helped build that capacity.

Fragmented legal systems created challenges for coordination, addressed through knowledge-sharing forums and peer-to-peer learning during Climate Law and Governance Days.

Securing funding for long-term legal work required partnerships with academic institutions, international organisations, and committed donors.

In a crowded policy space, elevating legal approaches meant creating space for new disciplines and future-focused thinking to enter climate discourse.

ADVICE

“Convince as many as you possibly can to join you, always reaching beyond the trusted inner circles, always opening doors for others, especially for the voices often unheard across present and future generations. Encourage and engage everyone willing to help us all advance climate action across local to global law and policy, and across all disciplines and jurisdictions, in the interest of global sustainability and justice.”

CONTACT

LinkedIn