The 9th International Conference on Environmental Compliance and Enforcement, held under the theme "Enforcement Cooperation: Strengthening Environmental Governance," called for advancing the role of environmental compliance and enforcement in achieving the goals of the UN Conference on Sustainable Development (UNCSD, or Rio+20).
24 June 2011: Participants at the 9th International Conference on Environmental Compliance and Enforcement identified new actions to promote enforcement cooperation to combat environmental crime and support the shift to sustainable development and a green economy. The theme of this year’s conference was “Enforcement Cooperation: Strengthening Environmental Governance.”
The conference concluded on 24 June 2011, in Whistler, Canada. It was organized by the International Network for Environmental Compliance and Enforcement (INECE), with the US Environmental Protection Agency, the Netherland’s Ministry of Infrastructure and the Environment, and other member countries, and brought together 150 environmental compliance and enforcement experts from over 50 countries.
Achim Steiner, Executive Director, UN Environment Programme (UNEP), noted the importance of INECE as a global leader and partner in international cooperation efforts to combat environmental crimes. John Scanlon, Secretary-General, Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES), stressed the importance of strong national institutions to ensure compliance with and enforcement of multilateral environmental agreements (MEAs). Ken Markowitz, Managing Director, INECE, noted that compliance with domestic laws and policies is the basis for meeting the goals of MEAs.
The Conference closed with recommendations on promoting the role of environmental compliance and enforcement in achieving sustainable development objectives in preparation for the UN Conference on Sustainable Development (UNCSD, or Rio+20). [INECE News]