Technical assistance under the Fifth Montevideo Programme for the Development and Periodic Review of Environmental Law
In line with the objectives of the Fifth Montevideo Program for the Development and Periodic Review of Environmental Law (Montevideo Programme V or Programme), the Programme will deliver technical legal assistance for initiatives that:
- Support the development of adequate and effective environmental legislation and legal frameworks to address environmental issues;
- Strengthen the effective implementation of environmental law;
- Support enhanced capacity-building for increased effectiveness of environmental law.
For the past forty years, technical legal assistance has been a key feature of implementing the Montevideo Programme. Broadly speaking, technical legal assistance may be provided in different ways and encompass areas such as legal and institutional frameworks, institutional capacities, national and regional coordination between different stakeholders, international cooperation, capacity building, awareness-raising, and more. Several examples of technical legal assistance provided by UNEP's Law Division over the years are highlighted in the Division's 2020, 2019, 2018, and 2017 Annual Reports.
UNEP's Law and Environment Assistance Platform (UNEP-LEAP) hosts a Clearing House Mechanism through which countries can submit technical legal assistance requests directly to UNEP. The Clearing House Mechanism facilitates the management, assessment, and monitoring of these requests.
How does it work?
1. Submitting a request:
Countries can submit a technical legal assistance request through the online submission form on UNEP-LEAP or via e-mail to unep-montevideo@un.org using the submission template. You will receive a confirmation of receipt after submission.
Click here to submit a request for assistance
Note: At this time, there is no limit to the number of requests that each country may submit. If UNEP reaches its capacity for responding to technical requests, the number of requests per country/year may then be limited.
2. Review process:
In consultation with the requestor, the relevant National Focal Points, and the Steering Committee for Implementation, UNEP will consider the request in four different steps:
The assessment criteria may include alignment with the technical assistance categories identified by the Programme, the objectives of the Programme (Article 3 of the Programme), strategic activities of the Programme (Article 4 of the Programme), and with UNEP's Medium-Term Strategy for 2022-2025.
3. Assessment and implementation:
After the review process, requests may be recommended for inclusion in the archive, inclusion on the waitlist, or immediate implementation. Some requests may be waitlisted for reasons such as insufficient funding or lack of an appropriate implementing partner, among others. This waitlist is available to National Focal Points and will be reviewed periodically.
UNEP will recommend a request for immediate implementation if it falls within one of the Programme's assistance categories and is financially and practically feasible. After the review process is finished, the requestor and UNEP will jointly agree on the final scope, deliverables, outputs, outcomes, timeline, budget, and other implementing partners, if any, for the request.
4. Progress tracking:
UNEP-LEAP provides an open-access activity tracker with information on the requests and their progress status. Publications of requests are subject to prior consent.
Should you have any questions about the Clearing House Mechanism, please contact the secretariat at unep-montevideo@un.org.
