Multilateral Environmental Agreement

In this publication, a number of recognized practitioners and scholars undertake to explore the realities and the conceptual underpinnings of environmental compliance mechanisms.

This Manual expands upon Guidelines on Compliance with and Enforcement of MultilateralEnvironmental Agreements (MEAs). Many States participated in the developmentand negotiation of the Guidelines, which were adopted by the UNEP GoverningCouncil in 2002. While this Manual is not a negotiated document, it also is the result ofa collaborative process involving a wide range of numerous individuals around the world.These people assisted in drafting case studies and other contributions, reviewing the text,and suggesting substantive and formatting changes.

Built in to every multilateral environmental agreement is a dilemma: how to incorporate justice and fairness on the one hand and effectiveness on the other. Our immense difficulty in meeting this two-edged imperative highlights the fact that we are, at best, at an early stage in the development of international environmental ethics, and that no coherent and effective ethical system yet exists in this context. This remarkable book starts from a conviction that the principle of common but differentiated responsibility (CBDR) offers the best way forward toward the much-desired goal of sustainable development. Presenting a full-scale, multidisciplinary assessment of the feasibility of the principle of CBDR in multilateral environmental agreements, encompassing legal and policy status perspectives as well as historical developments and future prospects, this study identifies issues and aspects in the theoretical and practical application of the CBDR principle. The author responds with in-depth knowledge and awareness to such specific questions as the following: What does the principle of common but differentiated responsibility entail in international environmental law, with special reference to international environmental treaties? How is the principle reflected in the burden-sharing design of current agreements? What problems and challenges does the practical application of the CBDR principle present to the international community and individual countries as well as to the international environmental regimes themselves? What factors should be taken into account when assessing the success or failure of the principle? What is the status of the principle in international environmental law (currently and possibly in the future), and what are its implications in the broader international context? The author examines methods for differentiation from both theoretical and actual treaty-level viewpoints. She offers examples from the negotiation history of international environmental treaties to shed light on the importance of information-sharing and wide participation during the negotiations. Recognizing that, in the international environmental field, problems of economic development and the geopolitics of global wealth distribution soon come to the fore, and that each stateand’s right to development should not be too heavily restricted under international environmental regimes, she demonstrates that the CBDR principle has a strong potential to formally integrate the environment and development at the international level. The study will be of immeasurable value in promoting understanding of how CBDR actually works. It will help lawyers and policymakers perceive how different parties want to use the principle, and to discern clearly what options could be chosen by the parties, which aspects are crucial, and what factors influence the effectiveness of the arrangements.

This report seeks to perform a comparative analysis of compliance mechanisms under selected multilateral environment agreements (MEAs). It seeks to contribute to UNEP's work on implementation mechanisms for international instruments. The report identifies strategic opportunities for interlinkages and synergies in compliance mechanisms among MEAs.

The Common but Differentiated Responsibility Principle in Multilateral Environmental Agreements

This report examines various cases to analyze the use of trade measures in environmental agreements and assembles a series of common issues and lessons learned.

A tool to help negotiators of Multilateral Environmental Agreements to prepare strategies and to participate more effectively in the negotiations and focus on environmental issues, their creation of binding international law, and their inclusion.

The Manual provides for a step-by-step introduction and expert advice for representatives of NGOs and other stakeholders on how they can effectively engage in developing and implementing Multilateral Environment Agreements.