Irikefe Dafe - Africa Lead & International Liaison                   

Society for Earth Law Launch – NYC, September 24, 2025: Goodwill/Acceptance Message

Ladies and Gentlemen, Distinguished Guests, Fellow Earth Advocates,

It is both an honor and a deep responsibility to stand before you today as the newly appointed Africa Lead and International Liaison Director of the Society for Earth Law (SOEL).

Today marks not just the launch of a global organization—it marks a renewed global consciousness. A rising tide of legal, moral, and ecological awakening that recognizes one simple but transformative truth: the Earth is not a commodity. It is a community. A living system, to which we all belong and to which we all owe respect, protection, and care.

From the rivers of the Amazon to the sacred mountains of Africa, from melting glaciers in the Arctic to the disappearing forests of Southeast Asia—our planet speaks. And today, through Earth Law, we choose to listen, to act, and to reimagine our legal systems not as instruments of dominance, but as guardians of life.

As Africa Lead, I bring with me the spirit of a continent where the concept of Ubuntu—I am because we are—teaches us that our well-being is intertwined with the well-being of the Earth. And as International Liaison Director, I pledge to work across borders, traditions, and institutions to ensure that Earth-centered governance becomes not just an aspiration, but a global norm.

Let this Society be more than an organization. Let it be a movement—a legal and moral compass for future generations. Together, may we advance laws that honor Earth’s rights, defend her defenders, and restore balance between humanity and the natural world.

The Earth is calling—and today, through this Society, we answer.