Yenny Vega Cárdenas
President, International Observatory on the Rights of NatureYenny Vega Cárdenas is a lawyer in both Quebec and Colombia, specialising in water law, governance and human rights.
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A joint initiative between the University of Bergen
and CMI – Chr. Michelsen Institute
Should nature have rights?
23.09.2026
13:00 - 14:00English
What would it mean to recognise rivers, ecosystems and the natural world as subjects of rights?
CC 3.0 The debate brings together voices with distinct experiences and perspectives on the emerging Rights of Nature movement, spanning international institutions, law, environmental activism, philosophy and corporate governance.
This panel conversation is part of the Rights on Nature workshop, where we invite you to a debate exploring one of the most pressing and provocative questions of our time: should nature have rights?
All are welcome!
Event info.
Bergen GlobalJekteviksbakken 31, Bergen
23.09.2026
13:00 - 14:00
English
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Sören Koch
Professor, UiBSören Koch is Professor and Head of the Research Group for Legal Culture, Legal History and Comparative Law.
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Robert Rient
Activist and writer, Odra Person FoundationRobert Rient is initiator of the movement to recognise the Odra River as a legal person and founder of the Odra Person Foundation
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Maria Mercedes Sánchez
Coordinator (retired), UNMaria Mercedes Sánchez is former coordinator of the United Nations Harmony with Nature Programme.
Read moreYenny Vega Cárdenas
President, International Observatory on the Rights of Nature
Photo: Radio Canada International
Yenny Vega Cárdenas is a lawyer in both Quebec and Colombia, specialising in water law, governance and human rights.
Her research and advocacy focus particularly on the human right to water and the recognition of nature and rivers as subjects of rights.
She has been closely involved in efforts to recognise the MagPie River and the Saint Lawrence River in Canada as subjects of rights.
Sören Koch
Professor, UiB
Sören Koch is Professor and Head of the Research Group for Legal Culture, Legal History and Comparative Law.
Sören Koch’s fields of research encompass legal history, legal cultural studies, comparative law, legal methodology, and selected aspects of private and public law. As a German lawyer working in Norway, the comparative perspective is a central building block in his academic work and teaching.
He is President of the Norwegian Association of Comparative Law and a member of the European Law Institute and the International Academy of Comparative Law.
Robert Rient
Activist and writer, Odra Person Foundation
Robert Rient is initiator of the movement to recognise the Odra River as a legal person and founder of the Odra Person Foundation
Initiator of the movement to recognise the Odra River as a legal person and founder of the Odra Person Foundation, Robert Rient brings the perspective of environmental activism and direct engagement with the Rights of Nature movement in Poland.
Following the devastating ecological disaster in the Odra River in 2022, he founded the Odra Tribe and has worked towards legal recognition of the river. His work connects ecological activism, legal personhood and broader questions about our relationship with the natural world.
Maria Mercedes Sánchez
Coordinator (retired), UNMaria Mercedes Sánchez is former coordinator of the United Nations Harmony with Nature Programme.
Maria Mercedes Sánchez worked for 15 years to advance a non-anthropocentric paradigm centred on the Rights of Nature. Through her work at the United Nations, she supported negotiations on General Assembly resolutions, coordinated international dialogues and contributed to the development of the UN’s work on Harmony with Nature.
Her perspective brings the international and institutional dimensions of the Rights of Nature debate into focus.
More information about the UN Harmony with Nature Programme
Bergen Global is a joint initiative between the University of Bergen and Chr. Michelsen Institute that addresses global challenges.
