21 June 2012: The World Congress on Justice, Governance and Law for Environmental Sustainability aimed to support Chief Justices, Attorneys General, Auditors Generals and other legal experts in contributing towards the achievement of sustainable development, and to provide inputs to the UN Conference on Sustainable Development (UNCSD, or Rio +20).

The meeting, held from 17-20 June 2012, at the Portobello Resort in Mangaratiba, Brazil, and at the Supreme Court of the State of Rio de Janeiro, was hosted by the UN Environment Programme (UNEP), the Association of Judges of the State of Rio de Janeiro (AMAERJ), the Getulio Vargas Foundation (FGV) and the Public Ministry of the State of Rio de Janeiro. Partners in organizing the event included the Asian Development Bank (ADB), the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES), the International Organisation of Supreme Audit Institutions (INTOSAI), the Organization of American States (OAS), the Secretariat of the Pacific Regional Environment Programme (SPREP), the World Bank, the International Network for Environmental Compliance and Enforcement (INECE) and the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN).

The Congress gathered high-level judges, prosecutors, auditors and other legal experts for four days of exchange of experiences and discussion on leading cases and challenges in promoting a healthy environment from the legal field. The aim of the World Congress was to foster a common vision and principles on how to use justice, law and governance to promote sustainable development.

More than 200 participants attended the Congress and emphasized the value of exchanging experiences at the national level and the need for enhancing international cooperation. After lively exchanges of views on how to reflect their ideas in a final document, participants agreed to include views in a declaration to be presented to the Rio+20 Conference. The “Rio +20 Declaration on Justice, Governance and Law for Environmental Sustainability” sets out three main sections on: messages to Heads of State and government and the world community; procedural and substantive principles to advance the rule of law on environmental matters; and an institutional framework for the advancement of justice, governance and law for environmental sustainability. The Declaration reflects participants’ demand for a follow-up process suggesting that UNEP lead the establishment of an international institutional network to continue engaging high-level legal officers, and promote information exchange, education and capacity building of members of the judicial, auditing and prosecuting agencies. [IISD RS Meeting Coverage] [World Congress Website]