14. United Nations Environment Program (UNEP)

Abstract

Since the early 1980s, UNEP has been actively engaged in the development and promotion of environmental law through negotiations, adoption, and consolidation of global and regional multilateral environmental agreements. It derives its mandate from its constituent instrument—that is, the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) Resolution 2997 (XXVII) of 15 December 1972 ( ). It delegates authority to the executive director to promote ‘international cooperation in the field of environment’ and to ‘perform such other functions as may be entrusted to him by the Governing Council.’ Moreover, Chapter 38 of Agenda 21 underscores the role of UNEP in the development and implementation of international environmental law. This role was subsequently affirmed as part of the UNEP mandate by its Governing Council in the 1997 Nairobi Declaration and the 2000 Malmö Ministerial Declaration. Guided by this mandate, UNEP has continued to make contributions to the development of global and regional legal instruments as well as soft law instruments such as guidelines, principles, and programs. As a corollary, UNEP also helps sovereign states to develop their national legal framework to implement the multilateral environmental legal agreements. It provides capacity-building training and technical assistance to developing nations and to nations with economies in transition in this regard.