In this joint Policy Brief by UNEP Faith for Earth Initiative and the King Abdullah bin Abdulaziz International Centre for Interreligious and Intercultural Dialogue (KAICIID), priority challenges are presented by climate change as cross-cutting, impacting human activity, biodiversity and ecosystems with only 23% of the environment-related SDG Indicators on track for the target. 

Transitioning to a more sustainable future requires a new environmental governance system and the engagement of the full spectrum of society and the employment of innovative approaches that protect the natural environment based on behavioural and ethical changes in environmental governance. The stewardship role of leaders of religious and indigenous communities is a valuable resource in building such an innovative model.

- Iyad Abumoghli (UNEP Faith for Earth Initiative) & Nayana Jayarajan (KAICIID)

The Brief focuses on the Way Forward, presenting an innovative and integrated model for global environmental governance that is coherent and calls for the integration of the diverse expressions of one's moral duty to protect the environment, particularly under the leadership of Faith Leaders, Faith-Based Organisations (FBOs) and faith actors.

Adopting an ethics and values-based approach where humans learn to live in harmony with nature and with one another is critical in addressing the 2030 Agenda that is people-centered and acknowledges that a healthy planet is an essential requirement for Sustainable Development.

On August 5, 2021, was held the First meeting of the Steering Committee for the Implementation of the Fifth Montevideo Program for the Development and Periodic Review of Environmental Law. 

More information about the Steering Committee for Implementation is available here. 

On March 23, 2022, was held the Second meeting of the Steering Committee for the Implementation of the Fifth Montevideo Program for the Development and Periodic Review of Environmental Law. 

More information about the Steering Committee for Implementation is available here. 

The first segment of the First Global Meeting of Nations Focal Points took place virtually from 2-4 June 2021. 

National focal points took decisions and provided guidance to UNEP on relevant institutional arrangements for the Programme and identified initial priorities for implementation in the field of environmental rule of law.

More information on the online segment of the First Global Meeting of National Focal Points is available here. 

Embedding ambient air quality standards (AAQS) in legislation is an important foundation for effective national air quality governance. Legislation can establish institutional responsibility for air quality standards, set mechanisms for accountability, public participation and enforcement, and institutionalize processes for setting and updating robust air quality standards as knowledge and technologies develop.

UNEP’s 2021 Regulating Air Quality: The First Global Assessment of Air Pollution Legislation found that, while most countries in the world do embed AAQS in legislation, there was no common legal framework for AAQS globally. UNEP has developed this Guide on Ambient Air Quality Legislation to assist national lawmakers and policymakers to develop or improve ambient air quality legislation.

The aim of this Guide is to promote robust national systems of air quality governance that prioritize public health outcomes and respect that all humans share the same need to breathe air of adequate quality. The Guide emphasizes that air pollution is a collective problem arising from decisions and behaviours across a wide range of policy sectors. Thus, regulatory alignment across wide-ranging policy areas is critical to achieving AAQS in practice. This Guide addresses a lacuna that exists in air quality laws globally, providing a legal resource for developing robust national legislation that supports public access to scientifically evidenced levels of clean air.

Related links:

• Regulating Air Quality: The First Global Assessment of Air Pollution Legislation
• Air quality legislation and implications for health: technical brief by WHO

The report proposes a systems change to address the causes of plastic pollution, starting by reducing problematic and unnecessary plastic use, redesigning the system, products and their packaging and combining these with a market transformation towards circularity in plastics. This can be achieved by accelerating three key shifts – reorient and diversify, reuse, and recycle,  – and actions to deal with the legacy of plastic pollution. 

Significant reduction in the use of plastic can be achieved e.g. by redesigning the way in which products deliver their function to society, e.g. substituting dry products for liquified ones so we do not need to transport water (and the products can then be packed in simpler materials).

Reuse refers to the transformation of the ‘throwaway economy’ to a ‘reuse society’ where reusing  products and refilling them makes more economic sense than throwing them away.

Reorient and diversify refers to shifting the market towards sustainable alternatives, which will require a shift in the way products and packaging are produced, consumer demand, regulatory frameworks and costs. Finally, as a complement to the other solutions, the report also discusses the importance of ensuring that where plastics are produced, they are designed to be recyclable in the market where they are sold, and that waste management and the recycling market become more viable ventures. Today, only nine percent of plastics produced are mechanically recycled. 

The report highlights that these solutions are available now and that a systems change, underpinned by the necessary regulatory instruments, will result in a range of economic benefits and reduce damage to human health, the environment and the climate.  

The purpose of the sourcebook is two-folded. The first part is an awareness-raising and knowledge-sharing material, which aims to provide an overview of the main issues concerning CITES implementation in national fisheries sectors. The second part is a guidance tool, which seeks to support legal practitioners and decision-makers working in CITES and national fisheries sectors in reviewing relevant legislation and ensuring that key elements of CITES are taken into account or incorporated in legal provisions when a decision has been taken to implement CITES through the relevant legal framework regulating national fisheries.

The First Global Assessment of Air Pollution Legislation (GAAPL) presents the findings of a study of air quality legislation in 194 countries and the European Union. Using the Air Quality Guidelines developed by the World Health Organization as a starting point, the report examines the legal measures for determining whether air quality standards are being met and what legal standards exist for failure to meet them.

The report emphasizes that robust air quality governance is critical to attaining air quality standards and public health goals. This can be achieved through developing legislation for air quality control that integrates accountability, enforceability, transparency, and public participation. The report reveals that there is no common legal framework for Ambient Air Quality Standards (AAQS) globally and that effective enforcement of AAQS remains a significant legal challenge. Many countries lack legislation that sets AAQS or requires air quality monitoring and only a few address transboundary air pollution.

The GAAPL provides recommendations to assist countries in strengthening air quality governance and serves as a resource for countries wishing to effectively address air pollution and contribute to the achievement of the Sustainable Development Goals.

This document Series on Environmental Law, contains a model legislative proposal for a Basic Law on Environmental Protection and the Promotion of Sustainable Development for the Countries of Central America and Panama

With over 1,200 environmental courts and tribunals now operating worldwide at the national and state/provincial level, this guide shares concise, practical advice and best practices to make them more effective, updating the 2009 “Greening Justice” report by the University of Denver Environmental Courts and Tribunals Study and published by World Resources Institute.