Professor Patricia Kameri-Mbote, LLD (Nairobi), JSD (Stanford), LLM (Stanford, Warwick), is the Director of the Law Division at the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP). She was the Founding Research Director of the International Environmental Law Research Centre (IELRC), where she served as Programme Director for Africa for over two decades.

An expert in environmental law, Patricia has worked at local, national, regional, and international levels, consulting for UNEP on programme reviews, legal instruments, and stakeholder engagement frameworks. Since 2007, she has been engaged in the Montevideo Environmental Law Programme and serves on the Governing Board of the International Council on Environmental Law (ICEL). A member of the Senior Counsel Bar in Kenya, Patricia has been a Professor of Law at the University of Nairobi for over 30 years, where she also served as Dean of the School of Law. She has taught environmental law at the University of Kansas, the University of Zimbabwe, and Stellenbosch University. As chair of the Association of Environmental Law Lecturers in African Universities, she has played a pivotal role in expanding legal education initiatives across Africa and the Middle East, including judicial training programmes.

Patricia earned her doctorate (JSD) in law from Stanford University (1999) and a Master of Laws (LLM) from both Stanford (1996) and Warwick University (1989). She holds a higher doctorate (LLD) from the University of Nairobi (2019) and was awarded an honorary Doctor of Laws (LLD) by the University of Oslo (2017).

Beyond academia, she has advised governments and international organisations, including the UK Department for International Development, the World Bank, USAID, UNEP, UNDP, WIPO, NORAD, and the Government of Kenya. She was a member of the Committee of Eminent Persons appointed by the President of Kenya in 2006 to advise on constitutional reform. Recognized as a global thought leader in environmental law and sustainable development, she has been honored by institutions such as the World Conservation Union (IUCN) and the International Development Research Centre (IDRC).

Her extensive research spans environmental and natural resource law, human rights, women’s rights, land tenure, intellectual property, biotechnology policy, and economic law. She has published widely and is a sought-after speaker at international, regional, and national conferences.