Who we are

Railla Veronica Puno is a legal and policy specialist in international climate change and environmental law. Concurrently with her work at Fair Transitions Lab, she is a rostered Legal Specialist for the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations, Coordinator for the Climate Law and Governance Initiative of the Centre for International Sustainable Development Law, and Policy Council Member for South and Southeast Asia with the Rihla Initiative for Green Economic Growth. She has over 10 years of experience in producing research working with governments, think tanks, multilateral organizations, and civil society. From 2022-2025, she was Associate Lead for the Climate Change Law and Policy team at the Centre for International Law, National University of Singapore. She previously served as Legal Services Division Chief at the Climate Change Commission of the Philippines, where she oversaw the national process for signing and ratifying the Paris Agreement. She has a Masters in Global Environmental Law (summa cum laude) from Pace University, a Juris Doctor from the University of the Philippines, and a Bachelor of Science Major in Psychology from Ateneo de Manila University.

Amiel Ian Valdez is a lawyer, researcher, and educator with fourteen years of experience across legal practice, policy analysis, and international law scholarship. At Fair Transitions Lab, he leads research operations and directs the Lab's portfolio on just transition, AI governance, climate action, deep seabed mining, and environmental and human rights law. He spent seven years as a Research Fellow at the National University of Singapore's Centre for International Law, publishing on deep seabed mining, precautionary principle, environmental impact assessment, and the protection of environmental defenders, and managing TRILA, a capacity-building initiative advancing Asian perspectives on international law. He co-chairs the Asian Society of International Law's International Environmental Law Interest Group, co-edits the AsianSIL Voices blog, hosts The Asian Scholar podcast, and teaches Public International Law at Philippine law schools. Amiel holds an LLM from the University of Melbourne (First Class Honours, Australia Awards Scholar) and a Juris Doctor from the Ateneo de Manila University, and previously served six years as an attorney at the Philippine Department of Environment and Natural Resources.

Kathleen Felise Constance D. Tantuico is a Philippine-qualified lawyer, archaeologist, and socio-legal researcher working at the intersection of law, governance, cultural heritage, and social justice. With over 15 years of experience in cultural heritage law, public archaeology, and policy development, she has advised government agencies, local authorities, Indigenous communities, and international organisations on complex legal and governance issues. Her research examines how legal and institutional frameworks can produce more equitable and inclusive outcomes in periods of social, technological, and environmental change. A multi-award-winning scholar with an LL.M. in International Law (Law and Society) from the University of Kent, she is particularly interested in rights-based approaches to governance, intergenerational equity, and the protection of vulnerable communities during transitions. At Fair Transitions Lab, she contributes to legal and policy solutions that ensure transitions are not only sustainable but also fair, participatory, and grounded in human dignity. She has published extensively on international cultural heritage law, human rights, and the relationship between law, identity, and heritage.

Anna is a lawyer with technical expertise in public health policy and governance. Concurrent with her supportive role as policy advisor at Fair Transitions Lab, she is a project manager at ImagineLaw, where she leads a team providing technical assistance in implementing policies in tobacco control in Asia and the Pacific region. She also led ImagineLaw's early work towards building healthy food environments in the Philippines, and has provided legal and technical support for the same advocacy in Fiji. From time to time, Anna also contributes to the work of the Foundation for Media Alternatives; recently, she facilitated consultations with Philippine civil society on the implications of ratifying the UN Convention on Cybercrime, and the use and development of artificial intelligence in the country.