Jeffrey Sachs, Special Advisor to the UN Secretary-General, said the Global Pact could help to advance efforts on climate change and global supply chains.
Speakers explained that the incomplete and fragmented nature of current international law will hinder implementation of the SDGs.
Through a UN General Assembly resolution, an ad hoc open-ended working group is currently identifying gaps in international environmental law and will make recommendations by June 2019.
17 July 2018: On Tuesday, 17 July 2018, on the sidelines of the High-level Political Forum on Sustainable Development (HLPF), the Permanent Mission of France to the UN organized an event on the ways in which the Global Pact for the Environment can be a tool for countries to implement the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development by strengthening international environmental law and facilitating implementation of the environmental pillar of sustainable development.During the event, Brune Poirson, Minister for the Ecological and Inclusive Transition, France, said the Global Pact aims to bring together fundamental principles of environmental law, which remains fragmented, and would help address environmental degradation affecting vulnerable groups, including youth, women, and marginalized and indigenous groups. She recalled UN General Assembly (UNGA) resolution A/72/L.51, which decided to establish an ad hoc open-ended working group to identify gaps in international environmental law and make recommendations by June 2019.
Erik Solheim, Executive Director, UN Environment Programme (UNEP), said that UNEP’s upcoming gap analysis will provide information regarding the need for and potential benefits of the Global Pact.
Jeffrey Sachs, Special Advisor to the UN Secretary-General, and Director, Sustainable Development Solutions Network (SDSN), said the Global Pact could help to advance challenges related to climate change, where a remediation system could help, and global supply chains, where both downstream users and upstream generators are held responsible for environmental impacts.
Speakers explained that the incomplete and fragmented nature of current international law will hinder implementation of the SDGs. They said the Global Pact aims to, inter alia: complement other environmental laws by codifying certain principles; foster legislative and jurisdictional mechanisms to ensure monitoring and implementation; and increase legal certainty. They also said the process to develop the Pact must ensure strong leadership and high-level commitments on the 2030 Agenda, and engage non-state actors, including civil society, the private sector, academia and youth.
In June, UN General Assembly (UNGA) President Miroslav Lajcak appointed the permanent representatives of Portugal and Lebanon to lead consultations on a global pact for the environment. [Global Pact for the Environment Website] [IISD RS Coverage of the Side Event on the Global Pact]