The Colombo Process - Beyond Compliance with and Enforcement of MEAs

Over the past several decades, the international community has established a range of legally binding agreements designed to tackle the world’s most serious environmental challenges. Each of these treaties focuses on a specific problem, be it hazardous waste, trade in endangered species, climate change or some other pressing concerns at the time the agreement was developed. Despite their varying themes, these agreements also have a great deal in common: they all promote sustainable development and they all use similar principles, processes and policy tools to achieve their goals. UNEP has been mandated by its Governing Council to address these common features as a way of strengthening and facilitating effective implementation of Multilateral Environmental Agreements (MEAs).

UNEP is working closely with MEA Secretariats, the Parties to MEAs and other partners to identify synergies and interlinkages that offer opportunities for collaboration at both the national, regional and international level. As part of this effort, UNEP organized in January 2006 and June 2006 two High-Level Meetings on Envisioning the Next Steps for Compliance with and Enforcement of MEAs. The Meetings gathered representatives from MEA Secretariats, Government representatives (in their personal capacities) and the experts to discuss the technical aspects of compliance and enforcement and to search for potential legal, structural and institutional innovations that could enhance implementation of MEAs. The Chairman’s Summaries identified key challenges to the effective implementation, compliance with and enforcement of MEAs that deserve further consideration and action, including through capacity building and the provision of resources by UNEP and its partners.

List of activities

• 1st High Level Meeting on Envisioning the Next Steps for MEA compliance and Enforcement (21-22 January 2006, Colombo, Sri Lanka)
• 2nd High Level Meeting on Envisioning the Next Steps for MEA compliance and Enforcement (31 May -2 June 2006, Geneva, Switzerland)