International agreements

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).

Despite the impressive number of legal texts and many good intentions, real progress in solving the environmental challenges themselves has been much less comprehensive. This report outlines findings from a UNEP study that has catalogued and analyzed existing "Global Environmental Goals" contained in the international agreements and conventions. It highlights gaps in our ability to measure progress, including the absence of clear numerical targets and important data gaps on many issues.

Multilateral Environmental Agreements (MEAs) are becoming more common in government life, necessitating a great familiarity by more people, as many countries are unable to engage effectively in treaties and conventions owing to lack of necessary expertise and resources. This handbook was created to suit the needs of the Pacific region and was prepared as a practical introduction to negotiating or working on MEAs for people with little or no technical background in negotiations.

The main goal of this Explanatory Guide is to facilitate the understanding of the legal obligations of the Parties under the Nagoya Protocol on Access to Genetic Resources and the Fair and Equitable Sharing of Benefits Arising from their Utilization (ABS) to the Convention on Biological Diversity.

The main goal of this Explanatory Guide is to facilitate the understanding of the legal obligations of the Parties under the Nagoya Protocol on Access to Genetic Resources and the Fair and Equitable Sharing of Benefits Arising from their Utilization (ABS) to the Convention on Biological Diversity.