About us

PILF is a non-profit making public interest non-governmental organization committed to working on public interest issues through the law. PILF’s primary objectives include the following inter alia:

• to preserve, protect and promote the public interest through research, law reform, advocacy, training and awareness;
• to use the legislative, administrative and judicial branches of the government as instruments to preserve, protect and promote the public interest (including bringing legal proceeding for same);
• to educate the public on the content, scope and value of the public interest and to keep them informed about the status of such interest;
• to create awareness and training for the public and government agencies on the application of the law for the protection, conservation and management of natural resources for sustainable development and use of natural resources;
• to protect and vindicate human rights, including the fundamental rights, franchise and to promote the rule of law; and uphold and defend the constitution and the law.

Since its inception PILF has continued to address urgent issues in the area of environmental and social justice. This has been done through research, policy reform, advocacy, litigation and law enforcement on issues of national importance and concern. During the first five to seven years PILF filed over ten cases on environmental and other public interest issues like the rights of the disabled. Some of the cases filed by PILF have brought about far reaching and positive changes.

PILF has since then also carried out numerous projects up to the present time. Most of these have been pioneering and first time efforts in the country (please refer ‘projects’ for details).

A significant feature of PILF’s work has included working closely with government ministries and departments for policy and law reform in the environmental sector. An outcome of this collaborative work with the government has been the drafting and adoption of the Ministerial Directions on Access to Information in the Urban Sector in relation to environmental concerns and drafting of proposals to amend the National Environmental Act (NEA) for better access to information and public participation.