Recently, Vivien Lara Wefringhaus, PhD student at the IFHV, was awarded with a scholarship from the Heinrich Boell Foundation ("Heinrich-Böll-Stiftung"). 

The Heinrich Boell Foundation is a non-profit organization that is part of the global green movement. The foundation is based in Berlin, Germany, and has a network of over 30 offices around the world. It advances political and socioeconomic transformations through civic engagement and political dialogue.
In particular, it promotes young talent, including PhD students, and sees this support as a contribution to democratic culture. The funding is aimed at those who will take on responsibility in politics, science and society in the future, and who share the basic values of democracy, ecology, solidarity and non-violence and want to work for these worldwide.

Supported by this scholarship, Vivien will undertake research at our Institute on the subject of Circular Economy and International Law.

Circular Economy is a model of industrial production and consumption in which existing materials and products are made usable for as long as possible, with the aim of reducing waste to a minimum. This form represents a counter-model to the traditionally prevailing linear economy, where most of the raw materials used are landfilled or incinerated, and only a small portion is recycled.

Specifically, Vivien's research will address the extent to which states are obligated under International Law to transform their economies into Circular Economies. This question requires an analysis of International Environmental Law as well as International Human Rights Law. She will have a particular focus on resource and waste management.