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Issue 19: September 2002

Slow progress on sustainable development
linked to disagreement over approach

The lack of coherency within the international institutional architecture mandated to implement sustainable development reflects strong disagreement about the correct approach to achieving sustainablity, according to a UNU report submitted to the World Summit on Sustainable Development.

The report, International Sustainable Development Governance, is based on research commissioned for a  study on International Environmental Governance Reform that was conducted by the UNU Institute of Advanced Studies (UNU/IAS) in collaboration with the University of Kitakyushu and supported by the Japan Foundation Centre for Global Partnership.

"The key to establishing and maintaining coherency within sustainable development governance lies in the relationships between the institutions of different regimes, including environment, trade, health, and peace and stability," the report says. "This is where coordination and reorganisation must be concentrated."

The report also calls for a more coherent relationship between international environmental law and the wider body of international law.

"Strong arguments can be made in support of the current system of institutional monitoring; at the same time, there is no technical or specific reason why a system of judicial enforcement could not complement, rather than replace, the current monitoring system," the report says.

"Without a judicial branch of international environmental law there is a danger that a two class society of international norms will develop based on those that can be judicially enforced, such as WTO rules, and those that can not.

"Until. . .  the political will to exists to establish an international judicial organ, with both compulsory and universal jurisdiction, the purposes of international sustainable development governance may be well served by strengthening concern for the environment within other international regimes such as trade (WTO dispute settlement mechanisms) and peace and stability (UN Security Council)."

More WSSD coverage:

UNU submits final report to WSSD

UNU announces new initiatives on Inter-linkages, mountains

Initiative on science for sustainability unveiled

Comment: Strengthened international organisations required for World Summit success

Download the report - PDF 450 KB
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