The United Nations University has developed a handbook on key linkages among the Rio conventions and other MEAs in order to provide States with comparative information on MEA requirements so as to enable them to develop synergies in the implementation of these agreements. The handbook covers six conventions so far: (1) the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), (2) the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD), (3) the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification in Countries Experiencing Serious Drought and/or Desertification, Particularly in Africa (UNCCD), (4) the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES), (5) the Convention on Wetlands of International Importance especially as Waterfowl Habitat (Ramsar Convention), and (6) the Vienna Convention for the Protection of the Ozone Layer and the g[Montreal Protocol] on Substances that Deplete the Ozone Layer.
The handbook surveys the texts of the MEAs and the decisions of the conferences of the parties (COPs) and tabulates the MEAs’ comparative requirements for certain thematic and administrative aspects. These include:
- national action programmes,
- capacity development,
- education and outreach,
- reporting,
- technology transfer, and
- impacts and adaptation
By comparing the requirements and approaches of the different MEAs on each topic, it will be possible to identify opportunities for synergies in implementation.
The handbook will be further developed to include regional annexes to cover regional agreements, with the Pacific and ASEAN agreements already covered and other regions to be addressed subsequently. The handbook will also be developed to include other MEAs, other issues such as compliance and enforcement, and other considerations such as the Millennium Development Goals, the outcomes of the World Summit on Sustainable Development (WSSD), and Barbados+10 (relating to small island developing states or SIDS).
UNU’s work on synergies emphasises four main principles: demand driven, value added, follows the principle of subsidiarity, and contributes to goals of sustainable development. Their research suggests that through synergies can be developed and implemented effectively if these principles are followed.
The handbook can be downloaded from http://www.geic.or.jp