This special edition of the Strathmore Law Journal presents a collection of scholarly papers emanating from the conference “Beyond Formal Law: The Role of Ethics, Beliefs, and Values in Amplifying Action against Plastic Pollution in Africa,” held on 3 November 2023. The event was jointly convened by Strathmore University, the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), and the Konrad Adenauer Stiftung Rule of Law Program for Sub-Saharan Africa. The intellectual foundations of this initiative were laid earlier during the 4th International Parliamentarians Conference on Freedom of Religion or Belief (FoRB), co-hosted in Nairobi in May 2023. That forum explored the intersection of FoRB and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), with particular attention to environmental justice and the role of informal cultural and religious norms in advancing climate action.
The conference sought to examine how non-legal normative frameworks rooted in ethics, beliefs, and values might complement formal legal systems in addressing plastic pollution. This approach aligns with UNEP’s global mandate to develop a legally binding international instrument on plastic pollution and resonates with Strathmore University’s commitment to innovative environmental governance.
Bringing together a diverse cohort of stakeholders including academics, indigenous representatives, civil society actors, students, and legal experts from across Africa and beyond, the conference generated findings that were subsequently shared at the third session of the Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee (INC) at UNEP Headquarters in Nairobi.
The present journal edition emerged from a broad call for papers that received strong engagement from a geographically and professionally diverse group of contributors, including youth leaders, religious actors, and academic scholars. The seven featured articles collectively underscore the argument that effective environmental governance, particularly in tackling plastic pollution, requires a synergistic approach that integrates formal legal instruments with informal normative influences. This holistic framework offers transformative potential for shaping sustainable behavioral and institutional change.
Gratitude is extended to UNEP, in particular Prof. Patricia Kameri-Mbote, as well as to Strathmore University School of Law and all contributors to this volume. The hope is that this publication will serve as both a scholarly resource and a catalyst for further dialogue and action towards a pollution-free and sustainable future.
