11 September 2015: Over one hundred participants, including representatives from governments, NGOs, intergovernmental organizations and UN agencies, attended the Meeting of Senior Government Officials Expert in Environmental Law on the Midterm Review of the fourth Programme for the Development and Periodic Review of Environmental Law (Montevideo Programme IV).

The Montevideo Programme refers to a series of 10-year programmes that organize the UN Environment Programme’s (UNEP) work to develop and review environmental law. The Montevideo Programme guides international efforts to transform science-based policies into action-oriented rules and standards of conduct.

The meeting on the mid-term review of Montevideo IV took place from 7-11 September 2015, in Montevideo, Uruguay.

The review: assessed progress and challenges in implementating the Programme; assessed shortcomings, gaps and expected future developments; and refined, as appropriate, the focus of the further development and implementation of environmental law, in light of new developments and emerging trends.

The review process took place through a consultative and participatory process, according to UNEP, including through the distribution of a questionnaire followed by Montevideo Programme law seminars held in June and July 2015, and an eminent legal expert meeting held in July 2015, which drafted an initial list of priority areas for action and emerging issues that then were considered at the September meeting.

The meeting considered three topics – the preliminary report of the midterm review, emerging issues, and priority areas for action. These led to delegates approving a set of recommendations, which will be forwarded to the second UN Environment Assembly (UNEA) in 2016 for further consideration. [IISD RS Meeting Coverage] [Meeting Website]