International Council of Environmental Law (ICEL)

The Draft International Covenant on Environment is an ongoing contribution of the International Council of Environmental Law (ICEL) and the IUCN Environmental Law Programme (IUCN ELP)  to provide a framework for implementing sustainability at all levels of society following the outcome of the Rio+20 Conference, and subsequent adoption of the United Nation’s 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and its Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

This publication attempts to connect the governance policies in place, those policy options that are proposed, and gap analysis studies of governance with a host of relevant documents related to key topics in the Arctic. The document includes a governance index, organized by country, and a keyword index, including names of conventions and agreements.

The Draft Covenant is a blueprint for an international framework (or umbrella) agreement consolidating and developing existing legal principles related to environment and development. Since the publication of the second edition in 2000, there have been important developments in the field of international environmental law. This revised edition takes account of these changes, following a review of important new treaties and soft law documents, including the Johannesburg Declaration and Plan of Implementation.

This book is the very first attempt to describe the development of environmental law. In particular, those developments under the auspices of the Environmental Law Programme of the International Union for the Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources, and within the network of the International Council of Environmental Law and all concerned national and international agencies and organizations.

The Draft Covenant is a blueprint for an international framework (or umbrella) agreement consolidating and developing existing legal principles related to environment and development. Since the publication of the second edition in 2000, there have been important developments in the field of international environmental law. This revised edition takes account of these changes, following a review of important new treaties and soft law documents, including the Johannesburg Declaration and Plan of Implementation.

For many years, concerns have been expressed about environmental issues in the Arctic. While the Arctic region, unlike Antarctica, has been inhabited for thousands of years, it is under unique threat because of its vulnerability toward resource exploitation and the deposition of various airborne pollutants. With its varied populations, and with eight Nations asserting territorial interests, the Arctic needs a careful approach to its protection and development. This report describes the current Arctic environmental legal regime.