Frontline international law expert and the Deputy Vice Chancellor of Afe Babalola University, Ado Ekiti, Professor Damilola Sunday Olawuyi (SAN), has been awarded the 2024 Weeramantry International Justice Award in recognition of his commitment to international law, peace and sustainable development.
The Weeramantry International Justice Award is granted to “distinguished senior-level jurists whose lifeworks, intellect and character offer the highest possible credit to the memory of his Excellency the late Judge Christopher Gregory Weeramantry (1926 –2017), former judge and vice-president of the International Court of Justice (ICJ).”
The Weeramantry Award honours Justice CG Weeramantry’s international legacy, including his concern for the interests of current and future generations, his commitment to international law, peace and sustainable development, and his global humanism and leadership in the law.
Recent laureates of this prestigious award include Elizabeth Mrema (Tanzania), United Nations Assistant Secretary-General and Deputy Executive Director of the United Nations Environment Programme, UNEP; Judge Kathy-Ann Brown (Jamaica), Member of the International Tribunal of the Sea, ITLOS, Professor James Bacchus (United States), former US Congressman, as well as founding judge and the Chairman of the Appellate Body of the World Trade Organisation; Hon Justice Marcel Szabo of the Constitutional Court of Hungary; Professor Marie-Claire Cordonier Segger of the UK, Canada and Switzerland, and advocate Neshan Gunasekera of Sri Lanka amongst other eminent international law experts.
The award was presented to Professor Olawuyi on Friday, at this year’s Global Symposium on the Natural World, the Sustainable Development Goals and the Law organised by the Centre for International Sustainable Development Law in partnership with the University of Cambridge, United Kingdom, McGill University, Canada, United Nations Environment Program amongst other international partners.
The award committee specifically commended Professor Olawuyi’s “pioneering scholarship on sustainable development in the Middle East and North Africa.
”A Harvard and Oxford trained scholar with expertise in energy, environment, business, human rights, and public international law, Professor Olawuyi is the President of the International Law Association (Nigerian Branch) and has received several international awards for his work.
In 2020, he was elevated to the coveted rank of Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN) becoming the youngest academic to recieve the rank of SAN in Nigeria. In 2021, he was appointed by the Federal Government of Nigeria as a member of the Governing Board of the Nigeria Extractive Industries Transparency Initiative, NEITI.
In 2022, he was appointed by the President of the United Nations Human Rights Council to represent Africa as an Independent Expert on the United Nations Working Group on Business and Human Rights.
In this capacity, he supports governments, business enterprises, civil society actors and other stakeholders across the world in advancing responsible investments that respect human rights and advance sustainable development.
In 2023, he received the top prize in academic publishing by the American Society of International Law, ASIL, the “Certificate of Merit for High Technical Craftsmanship and Utility to Practicing Lawyers and Scholars” in recognition of his path breaking book ‘Environmental Law in Arab States’ published by Oxford University Press.
Similarly in 2023 he received the BOK Visiting International Professorship at the University of Pennsylvania Law School, America and has served as visiting professor at Oxford, Cambridge, Columbia and Birmingham universities, and others.
A global citizen and diplomat, Professor Olawuyi has delivered lectures on energy law in over 50 countries in Europe, North America, Asia, Africa and the Middle East, and has served as consultant to the World Bank, UN agencies, governments, multinational corporations, and civil society organisations on issues related to energy, environment, business and human rights.
After receiving the award, Professor Olawuyi said: “It is an absolute honour to receive the Weeramantry International Justice Award, a prestigious award in honour of the late erudite judge and former Vice President of the International Court of Justice.
For many years, the insightful opinions of Judge Weeramantry in landmark environmental cases, as well as his commitment outside of the courtroom to world peace, justice and human development greatly shaped my own interest in the field of international law.
“So to be found worthy of recognition and mention in this elite category of recipients of this award is a special moment.
I dedicate the award to my family, friends and mentors, especially our distinguished Chancellor, role model, and legal giant Aare Afe Babalola, SAN, for the kind and unflinching inspiration and support that have continued to shape my interest and work in international law and sustainable development.”
