The Environmental Rights Africa (ERA) Coalition has commended its Lead Campaigner, Alfred Lahai Gbabai Brownell Sr, following his selection as a recipient of the prestigious 2026 Elisabeth Haub Award for Environmental Law and Diplomacy.
Brownell was formally presented with the honor alongside co-recipient Durwood Zaelke during a ceremony held at Pace University in New York City on Wednesday. The Elisabeth Haub School of Law named both advocates for their pioneering contributions to environmental jurisprudence and decades of global leadership in climate action and environmental governance.
The law school recognized Brownell for creating innovative legal strategies to shield vulnerable communities, climate defenders, and natural resources across Africa and internationally. Meanwhile, Zaelke was honored for his influential work strengthening the Montreal Protocol and advancing the Kigali Amendment to deliver massive climate protection benefits.
Commending the recipients, the Dean of the Elisabeth Haub School of Law and President of the Haub Award Jury, Horace E. Anderson Jr., praised their dedication to public service.
“Alfred Brownell and Durwood Zaelke exemplify the vision and leadership that the Elisabeth Haub Award was created to recognize.”
African Environmental Leaders Rally in Celebration
In a statement released by Philip Jakpor, a member of the ERA Coalition Steering Committee and Coordinator of its Communications Work Group, the coalition described the prize as a well-deserved recognition of Brownell’s relentless defense of marginalized frontline communities.
The Head of the ERA Coalition Secretariat, Peter Quaqua, emphasized that the award carries deep symbolic meaning for grassroots activists across the continent.
“This recognition is not only a tribute to Alfred’s extraordinary courage, leadership, and lifelong commitment to environmental and human rights, but also an affirmation of the struggles of African communities and frontline environmental defenders who continue to stand up for their lands, livelihoods, and dignity, often at great personal risk,” he said.
Adding her voice, Thuli Brilliance Makama, Senior Advisor for Africa at Oil Change International, described the achievement as a triumph for public interest advocacy.
“Brownell has been exemplary to our generation and is now a beacon of hope for the younger generation of environmental rights advocates who need guiding lights in a world darkened by injustice,” she said.
From Sierra Leone, Aminata Finda Massaquoi, National Coordinator of the Women’s Network Against Rural Plantations Injustice (WoNARPI), celebrated his selfless commitment to human rights.
“Today we celebrate a selfless activist not just in Africa but across the Globe. Alfred is a motivator to many of us who want to see freedom and dignity restored to every human on Earth.”
A Legacy of Legal Advocacy and Climate Reform
Brownell currently serves as Lead Campaigner for both the African Climate Platform (ACP) and the ERA Coalition. He is also the Founding President of Global Climate Legal Defense (CliDef), an organization providing legal aid to threatened climate activists worldwide, having previously established Green Advocates International, Liberia’s premier public interest environmental law firm.
He is presently spearheading major policy movements across Africa, including a petition for an advisory opinion from the African Court on Human and Peoples’ Rights regarding state obligations in the climate emergency, alongside an initiative to establish a binding regional environmental rights treaty.
Established in 1979 and delivered in partnership with the Université libre de Bruxelles and the International Council of Environmental Law, the Elisabeth Haub Award is widely regarded as the highest distinction in environmental law and policy.
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