ABOUT

Ernesta Swanepoel is an admitted South African attorney and has been facilitating and conducting training activities of foreign nationals since 2001 in Africa, South East Asia and Europe.

She has worked extensively on Climate Change Adaptation and Mitigation within the United Nations System and developed training and guidance manuals on Climate Change Adaptation for the United Nations Institute for Training and Research (UNITAR Climate Change Programme). She supports and coordinates climate change capacity building activities and training workshops in developing countries and provides project support.

Ernesta has drafted various research papers on a wide spectrum of international environmental law topics and regularly acts as a course moderator for International Environmental Law diplomas and online courses. She attended UNFCCC negotiations as an observer and facilitated Programme side events.

During 2008, while based in Geneva Switzerland, Ernesta assisted UNITAR at the annual meeting of the Secretary General and the Special Representatives to the Secretary General. In 2009, she formed part of a working group tasked with facilitating the UNITAR strategic reform plan as well as organizing the retreat. Recent projects can be found under Clients and Consultancies and include Ernesta's appointment as subject matter expert for an ocean governance course being developed by the International Ocean Institute of Southern Africa (IOI-SA) in collaboration with IOI headquarters and the International Maritime Organization, legal review of and comment on South Africa's Draft Ballast Water Bill And Regulations,  contribution to the UNFCCC CDM Policy dialogue and further development of climate change modules for the UN CC:Learn secretariat.

Ernesta holds a B.Comm, LLB and is currently completing an LLM degree in Marine and Environmental Law at the University of Cape Town. Ernesta's studies focus on Marine Pollution Law, International Law of the Sea and Natural Resources Law.  Ernesta also holds a diploma in International Environmental Law, completed in Geneva, Switzerland with the United Nations Institute for Training and Research. During 2001 to 2005, Ernesta was based in Kaohsiung, Taiwan where she studied Mandarin at the Taipei Language Institute.

Ernesta's passion for the environment and for oceans goes beyond law. She is a qualified PADI Dive Master and also serves as a volunteer for South Africa's National Sea Rescue Institute (NSRI) as sea going rescue crew.

Ernesta is currently based in Cape Town, South Africa.

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