UNEP
promotes the development of principles, guidelines and codes of conduct
in several areas. The aim of these instruments is to encourage governments
and other actors to take actions for the protection of the environment
on a voluntary basis. UNEP has also developed several Programmes of Action
of which the most important is the Global
Programme of Action for the Protection of the Marine Environment from
Land-based Activities (GPA). This Programme of Action complements
the UN International Convention on the Law of the Sea.
Development of International Soft Law
Guided by the Montevideo Programmes and Governing Council decisions, UNEP
has developed a body of soft law, including principles, goals, guidelines
and codes of conduct to assist governments in environmental management
for sustainable development.
Global Level
Global soft law instruments have been developed by UNEP in a wide range
of areas, including shared natural resources, weather modification, chemicals,
marine pollution prevention, hazardous wastes, environmental impact assessment,
biotechnology and compliance and enforcement of Multilateral Environmental
Agreements (MEAs).
Several soft-law instruments
have been used by UNEP as the basis for the negotiation of legally binding
instruments:
UNEP has also played
an important role in ensuring that the principles enshrined in key soft
law instruments such as the Stockholm and Rio Declarations find their
way into legally binding environmental law instruments.
The following are examples of non-binding principles, guidelines and codes
of conduct that have been developed by UNEP:
| 1978 |
Principles
on the Conservation and Harmonious Use of Shared Natural Resources |
| 1980 |
Weather Modification |
| 1982 |
Offshore Mining
and Drilling |
| 1984 |
Shipment of Banned
and Severely Restricted Chemicals |
1984
1987
1994 |
Exchange
of Information on Chemicals in International Trade |
| 1985 |
Marine Pollution
Prevention for land-based Activities |
| 1987 |
Management of
Hazardous Wastes |
| 1987 |
Environmental
Impact Assessment |
| 1994 |
Code
of Ethics on the International Trade in Chemicals |
| 1995 |
International
Technical Guidelines for Safety in Biotechnology |
| 2002 |
Guidelines for
the Enforcement of and Compliance with Multilateral Environmental
Agreements |
Regional Level
At the regional level, UNEP has been involved in developing Action Plans
in various regional sea areas for the protection, management and development
of the marine and coastal environment. Regions in which such plans have
been developed include the East Asian Seas, the South Asian Seas, and
the Northwest Pacific (China, Japan, Republic of Korea and Russia). These
are regions in which legally binding instruments are yet to be instituted.
In response to requests by the Caspian States, UNEP has also, since 1995,
joined the UNDP and the World Bank in the development of a Framework Convention
for the Protection of the Marine Environment of the Caspian Sea (Kazakhstan,
Azerbaijan, Russian Federation, Turkmenistan and the Islamic Republic
of Iran)
Programme of Action
UNEP has developed several Programmes of Action, at international and
regional levels. At the international level, of particular importance
is the Global Programme of Action for the Implementation of the Marine
Environment from Land-Based activities (GPA) adopted in Washington DC,
in November 1995. This has been an invaluable framework for the implementation
of regional seas conventions and protocols on land-based sources of pollution.
It has further facilitated UNEP reporting on the implementation on the
UNCLOS.
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