Foundation for International Environmental Law and Development

The Foundation for International Law and Development (FIELD) was an independent NGO that had previously been a subsidiary of IIED for six years. It worked with local partners, NGOs and institutions and had a worldwide reputation for expertise in the development and application of international environmental law and for siding with the disadvantaged.

Article, 30 September 2008

FIELD was a group of public international lawyers committed to helping vulnerable countries, communities and campaigners negotiate for fairer international environmental laws. Its main goal was to achieve a fair, effective and accessible system of international law that protects the global environment and promotes sustainable development.

In 2008, FIELD re-established itself as an independent NGO, after six years of being a subsidiary of IIED. It had two decades of experience in finding solutions to pressing environmental challenges. For example, FIELD advised the Alliance for Small Island States (AOSIS) in international climate change negotiations for many years.

Its work was part campaigning, part research, and part the work of a conventional law firm. It also ran an international internship programme, providing law students from all over the world with practical insight into environmental law.

Over the years, the institutional alliance brought together FIELD’s legal expertise and IIED's knowledge in social, political and economic sciences.