Issue Briefs
The Governance and Sustainability Series
This series of short policy papers on governance and sustainability provides analytical input to contemporary political discussions on institutional reform for environment and sustainable development. The issue briefs present analytically grounded and politically plausible reform options that negotiators could consider in the run up to the UN Conference on Sustainable Development, Rio+20, and beyond.
Brief 1: Financing International Environmental Governance: Lessons from the United Nations Environment Programme (Ivanova, October 2011)
Brief 2: Overcoming Fragmented Governance: The Case of Climate Change and the MDGs (Young, November 2011)
Brief 3: Clustering Assessment: Enhancing Synergies among Multilateral Environmental Agreements (Wehlri, January 2012)
Brief 4: Lessons from the Multilateral Trading System for Reforming the Architecture of the International Environmental Regime (Cottier, Elsig,and Wehrli, February 2012)
Brief 5: Enhancing Environmental Governance for Sustainable Development: Function-Oriented Options (Scanlon, March 2012)
Brief 6: Environmental Emergencies: Challenges and Lessons for International Environmental Governance (Nijenhuis and Bruch, June 2012)
Brief 7: Building an International Court for the Environment: A Conceptual Framework (by Riches and Bruce, February 2013)
Brief 1: Financing International Environmental Governance:
Lessons from the United Nations Environment Programme
by Maria Ivanova, October 2011
Financing for the global environment is scattered among many institutions and, without an overview of total financial flows, often considered scarce. This issue brief begins an analysis of the financial landscape by focusing on the anchor institution for the global environment, the UN Environment Programme. It examines the relationship between institutional form and funding and offers insights into innovative financing.
Brief 2: Overcoming Fragmented Governance: The Case of Climate Change and the MDGs
by Oran R. Young, November 2011
Fragmented governance hampers efforts to address tightly coupled challenges, like coming to grips with climate change and fulfilling the Millennium Development Goals. The way forward is to launch programmatic initiatives focusing on adaptation to climate change and the transition to a green economy that appeal to many separate bodies as win-win opportunities.
Brief 3: Clustering Assessment: Enhancing Synergies among Multilateral Environmental Agreements
by Judith Wehrli, January 2012
Against the background of a widely fragmented and diluted international environmental governance architecture, different reform options are currently being discussed. This issue brief considers whether streamlining international environmental regimes by grouping or ‘clustering’ international agreements could improve effectiveness and efficiency. It outlines the general idea of the clustering approach, draws lessons from the chemicals and waste cluster and examines the implications and potentials of clustering multilateral environmental agreements.
Brief 4: Lessons from the Multilateral Trading System for Reforming the Architecture of the International Environmental Regime
by Thomas Cottier, Manfred Elsig and Judith Wehrli, February 2012
Recent studies on environmental regimes suggest that important lessons and policy recommendations may be drawn from the functioning of the multilateral trading regime. This brief compares the needs and goals of the trade and environment regimes, and discusses how insights from over sixty years of experience of the multilateral trading system might provide ideas for redesigning the architecture of the international environmental regime. It further calls for a better dialogue and improved complementarities between the two fields in order to enhance coherence within international law.
PDF: Issue Brief 4 - Cottier, Elsig, Wehrli
Brief 5: Enhancing Environmental Governance for Sustainable Development: Function-Oriented Options
by John E. Scanlon, March 2012
The 2012 United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development, Rio+20, is likely to determine the future direction of the institutional framework for sustainable development and for international environmental governance. As States move towards the ‘sharp end’ of their negotiations, it is important to analyze some of the risks and benefits of the identified options for the reform of international environmental governance and offer pragmatic ideas on how to make best use of existing resources and structures.
Brief 6: Environmental Emergencies: Challenges and Lessons for International Environmental Governance
by Rene Nijenhuis and Carl Bruch, June 2012
This brief examines the strengths and weaknesses of existing instruments and institutions and addresses the efforts to improve coordination among the international sectors of environmental emergency response. Potential operational, capacity-building, and legal options for strengthening prevailing mechanisms are identified and discussed, including the need for stronger political mandates, the need for a stronger framework to address fragmentation, and the need for procedures to support and facilitate environmental emergency responders. The lessons from this discourse can improve the field of environmental emergency response, while also informing advancements in broader context of international environmental governance.
PDF: Issue Brief 6 - Nijenhuis and Bruch
Brief 7: Building an International Court for the Environment:
A Conceptual Framework
by Philip Riches and Stuart A. Bruce, February 2013
This issue brief considers the role and nature of existing and potential international dispute resolution fora in relation to international environmental law. It addresses impediments at the international level, such as limited access to justice by non-state actors and the lack of technical and scientific capability. As a conceptual paper, it highlights two possible remedial options: an international environmental tribunal and an international environmental court.
