Having been raised in London, Ontario and observing the hardships associated with the closure of factories as jobs migrated overseas, Freedom-Kai Phillips gained a strong drive to address global challenges which had local impacts. Conducting a PhD in Land Economy and International Law at the University of Cambridge, Freedom-Kai’s research focuses on how market mechanisms in international law and trading relationships can be used effectively to create incentives for sustainable development in the face of climate change and declining marine and terrestrial biodiversity. This examination of international legal regimes looks to inform how they could be modified to facilitate a just transition to a more sustainable future; one that will be of benefit to both Canada and the broader international community experiencing the acute problems created by climate change.
Prior to joining the University of Cambridge, Freedom-Kai received an Honours Bachelor of Science at Eastern Michigan University, a Master of Arts in Diplomacy and International Relations at the Seton Hall University School of Diplomacy and International Relations, a Bachelor of Laws from Dalhousie University with a specialization in International Environmental Law, and a Master of Laws in Intellectual Property Law from the University of Ottawa.
He currently serves as the Operations Director and a Legal Research Fellow for the Centre of International Sustainable Development Law in Montreal, Canada, a member of the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) World Commission on Environmental Law, and holds a Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council Doctoral Fellowship.
Freedom-Kai has significant international experience working in sustainable development law supporting international organisations such as the United Nations Commission on Sustainable Development, the International Development Law Organization, the Ramsar Convention Secretariat, the Convention on Biological Diversity, and the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change. This work has focused on providing legal research and capacity building in support of treaty implementation relating to biodiversity, wetlands, and climate change. Freedom-Kai sees potential for positive change through diplomacy, creative collaborative problem-solving and the development of an evidence base to inform impactful policy solution to these global challenges, always with a view to creating ways to support the most vulnerable.
The CCSF is proud to award Freedom-Kai the Tammy Chen Memorial Scholarship in recognition of his commitment to achieving a sustainable future through working with international organisations and his focus on capacity building, which echo Tammy’s passion for ensuring that scholarly excellence is coupled with a commitment to creating positive change. In 2017 Tammy Chen, who was completing a PhD in Development Studies at the University of Cambridge, was a victim of a terrorist attack in Burkino Faso where she had co-founded a development charity.
