It’s our great pleasure today to introduce Christina Voigt as an IntLawGrrls contributor. Christina is Professor at the Department of Public and International Law, University of Oslo, Norway. She is the author of “Sustainable Development as a Principle of International Law” (M. Nijhoff, 2009) and edited volumes, such as “Sustainable Development in International and National Law” (with H.C. Bugge, Europa Law Publishing, 2008) and “Rule of Law for Nature” (Cambridge University Press, 2013). Her teaching and research is in international environmental law and public international law. She works in particular on legal issues of climate change, sustainability and the interface between environmental and trade law. In 2009, Christina was awarded the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Academy of Environmental Law Junior Scholarship Prize for her academic writing.

In 2009 and 2010, she worked for the Norwegian government as lead negotiator on REDD+ (Reducing emissions from deforestation and forest degradation in developing countries) in the UN climate negotiations. In 2013, Christina was co-chair for the UNFCCC work program on results-based financing for REDD+, which successfully achieved a decision on this matter by COP 19 in Warszawa, November 2013. She works as legal consultant for the Norwegian Ministry of the Environment and several governmental and non-governmental organisations.

Christina received her legal education at the Universität Passau (Germany), holds an LL.M. in Environmental Law from the University of Auckland, New Zealand, and received a doctorate in law from the University of Oslo. She has taught/is teaching guest courses in international environmental law and in climate change law at the University of Lund, Sweden (2003-2007), the University of Dar es Salaam, Tanzania (2011-12) and the University of Auckland, New Zealand (2014).

Christina has two little boys and loves hiking, skiing and sailing with her family. Her first post will discuss the UN Climate Summit. Heartfelt welcome!