Legal experts gathered at the Commonwealth Secretariat headquarters in London, UK, from 1-2 December 2016, for a consultation to develop a legal toolkit to support countries in the implementation of the Paris Agreement on climate change.
Participants from international organizations, including the UNFCCC, UN Environment, the Commonwealth Secretariat and the World Bank, as well as the academia, non-governmental organizations (NGOs) and think tanks, explored how best to support the legal needs and priorities of countries in relation to obligations on climate change mitigation, adaptation and finance stipulated in the Paris Agreement.
2 December 2016: Legal experts gathered at the Commonwealth Secretariat headquarters for a consultation to develop a legal toolkit to support countries in the implementation of the Paris Agreement on climate change, including in relation to keeping the global temperature rise to 2°C above pre-industrial levels, and pursuing efforts to limit the temperature increase to 1.5°C.
Participants from international organizations, including the UNFCCC, UN Environment, the Commonwealth Secretariat and the World Bank, as well as the academia, non-governmental organizations (NGOs) and think tanks, explored how best to support the legal needs and priorities of countries in relation to obligations on climate change mitigation, adaptation and finance stipulated in the Paris Agreement.
The toolkit is expected to assist countries in delivering on their Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) under the Paris Agreement, which can include a wide range of legal measures on renewable energy, infrastructure, planning and transport, as well as adaptation and resilience measures.
According to Maria Manguiat, Head of UN Environment’s National Law Unit, the law and climate change tool under development “could prove indispensable to legal and regulatory efforts to keep the global temperature rise below 1.5°C.”
Katalaina Sapolu, director of the Rule of Law Division, Commonwealth Secretariat, said experts aim to develop a tool that can “bring together all of our existing knowledge, as well as the latest evidence on “what works” in national laws and regulations” to facilitate country-driven responses as governments seek to develop a Paris Agreement “rule book.” She added that “implementation through legislation provides legal certainty for sustainable climate action.”
The toolkit is expected to assist countries in delivering on their Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) under the Paris Agreement, which can include a wide range of legal measures on renewable energy, infrastructure, planning and transport, as well as adaptation and resilience measures.
The consultations took place in London, UK, from 1-2 December 2016. [Commonwealth Secretariat Press Release] [Decision 1/CP.21 Adopting the Paris Agreement]