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Centre for international environmental studies
03 October 2015

Field Research on Human Rights Approaches to Environment carried out in India and Turkey

In support of her PhD dissertation, Defne Gonenc, a PhD candidate in International Relations / Political Science with a minor in International Law, who works as a CIES research Assistant and MINT Teaching Assistant at IHEID, carried out her first round of field research in India and Turkey during June-August 2015. During her stay in India, she was associated with Vidhi Centre for Legal Policy as a visiting researcher.

Her research in India and Turkey focused on normative transformation in human rights approaches to environment and specifically the role of litigation at this process. Informed by the increasing capacity of courts to play a larger role both in domestic and international society, her project tries to enlighten the role courts play in the protection of human rights in relation to environment. During her field research, Defne Gonenc interviewed environmental activists, petitioners and respondents to three different court cases in India and Turkey (India Narmada Bachao Andolan v. Union of India; M.C.Mehta v. Union of India & Ors; Taskin and Others v. Turkey)

In support of her PhD dissertation, Defne Gonenc, a PhD candidate in International Relations / Political Science with a minor in International Law, who works as a CIES research Assistant and MINT Teaching Assistant at IHEID, carried out her first round of field research in India and Turkey during June-August 2015. During her stay in India, she was associated with Vidhi Centre for Legal Policy as a visiting researcher.

Her research in India and Turkey focused on normative transformation in human rights approaches to environment and specifically the role of litigation at this process. Informed by the increasing capacity of courts to play a larger role both in domestic and international society, her project tries to enlighten the role courts play in the protection of human rights in relation to environment. During her field research, Defne Gonenc interviewed environmental activists, petitioners and respondents to three different court cases in India and Turkey (India Narmada Bachao Andolan v. Union of India; M.C.Mehta v. Union of India & Ors; Taskin and Others v. Turkey)