Environmental Law Programme

	United Nations Environment Programme
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Environmental Law Programme: Legislative Authority

Legislative Authority

UNEP's activities in the field of environmental law are based on the mandate established in UNGA Resolutions, Governing Council decisions and other relevant documents. Since 1982, UNEP's environmental law activities have been organized, coordinated and guided by three sequential programmes known as the Montevideo Programmes for the Development and Periodic Review of Environmental Law.

The following are the most important documents providing for legislative authority for UNEP's environmental law activities.

Relevant United Nations General Assembly Resolutions:

Resolution No.	Title
3436	Conventions and protocols in the field of the environment (1975)
37/7	World Charter for Nature (1982)
37/219	Session of a special character of the Governing Council of the United Nations Environment Programme
55/2	United Nations Millenium Declaration (2000)

Relevant UNEP Governing Council Decisions:

Decision No.	Title	PDF	Word
3/16 (35 III)	Environmental Law
4/20 (66 IV)	Environmental Law
5/10 (91 V)	Environmental Law
6/9	Environmental Law
7/11	Environmental Law
8/15	Environmental Law
9/10	Programme Matters (extracts)
9/19A	Environmental Law
10/14	Programme Matters (extracts)
10/21	Programme for the Development and Periodic Review of Environmental Law (Montevideo I)
10/22	Working Group of Experts on Environmental Law
10/24	Follow-up to the Ad Hoc Meeting of Senior Government Officials Experts in Environmental Law
11/7	Programme Matters (extracts)
12/14	Environmental Law
13/18	Environmental Law
16/25	Strengthening of three main Secretariat Units through the establishment of Programme Activity Centers (extracts)
17/25	Programme for the Development and Periodic Review of Environmental Law (Montevideo II)
18/1	The Role and Priorities of the United Nations Environment Programme
18/9	Further development of international environmental law aiming at sustainable development
19/1	Nairobi Declaration on the Role and the Mandate of the United Nations Environment Programme
19/20	Midterm Review of the Programme for the Development and Periodic Review of Environmental Law for the 1990s and further Development of International Environmental Law aiming at Sustainable Development
20/3	Programme for the Development and Periodic Review of Environmental Law beyond the year 2000
21/23	Programme for the Development and Periodic Review of Environmental Law for the first Decade of the twenty-first Century (Montevideo Programme III)
22/17	Governance and Law

Other Relevant Documents:

Year	Title
1972	Stockholm Declaration
1982	Nairobi Declaration
1992	Rio Declaration
1992	Agenda 21 Chapter 8: Integrating Environment and Development in Decision-making Chapter 38: International Institutional Arrangements Chapter 39: International Legal Instruments and Mechanisms
1997	Nairobi Declaration on the Role and the Mandate of UNEP
2000	Malmö Ministerial Declaration
2001	Doha Ministerial Declaration
2002	Global judges Symposium: Johannesburg Principles adopted at the Global Judges Symposium
2002	World Summit on Sustainable Development: Johannesburg Declaration
2002	World Summit on Sustainable Development: Johannesburg Plan of Implementation
2002	Monterrey Consensus