How Better Enforcement is making the Environment Safer for us all
Waste is one of the greatest environmental and health challenges facing the world today. Global waste generation – which includes hazardous waste - is projected to reach 27 000 million tonnes by 2050. For example, the Mekong sub-region has seen increased use and trade of pesticides, and pesticide production and export from China to other Asian countries have also grown.
A lack of stringent laws and regulations, in addition to weak enforcement in many developing countries has made them highly vulnerable to the dumping and transboundary movement of hazardous wastes. Mis-declaration of goods, false documentation, and concealment are some of the more common methods smugglers of illegal waste use to evade the law.
UN Environment founded The Regional Enforcement Network to better equip enforcement officers, including customs, police, environmental inspectors and prosecutors with the skills and technical knowledge they need to prevent and control the illegal trade in chemicals and waste. The network has trained more than 1200 front line enforcement officers in the detection of chemicals and waste, and the arrest and prosecution of those guilty of this form of illegal trade. Since the Regional Enforcement Network began its operations in 2007 more than 500 illegal shipments of waste and chemicals have been intercepted by the participating countries.
Collaboration at national, regional and global level leads to more seizures of illegal transboundary shipments of waste and chemicals. This is why the Regional Enforcement Network supports multi-agency cooperation, as well as information and intelligence sharing, joint operations, capacity building and long-term partnerships.
The Regional Enforcement Network is just one example of how UN Environment is enforcing laws and strengthening institutions to empower environmental rule of law across the world.
We Increase the understanding of inter-linkages between human rights and the environment
Our Services
- We Identify methods to strengthen institutions and laws which protect natural resources
- We Improve legal and policy mechanisms to better combat illegal transnational environmental activities
- We Further the development of environmental norms in relation to natural harm from military action
- We Enhance national water laws, especially related to transboundary resources
- We Support the development and implementation of national, regional and global legal instruments and policies for the sustainable use of freshwater resources
Building Institutional Capacities
UN Environment is helping countries to stay in compliance of the Convention of International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Flora and Fauna by providing support on the development and implementation of environmental laws and regulations. Over the last five years UN Environment has provided support to 138 countries to achieve the Global or 'Aichi' Biodiversity Targets. Our actions have been delivered through more than 80 partnerships, with more than 1 billion dollar benefits from ecosystems identified in four countries. We provided support to 63 countries to ratify the Nagoya Protocol, and 141 projects are currently underway to support the strategic plan for the Convention on Biological Diversity. We helped 65 countries to participate in the Biosafety Clearing House Project and we provided support to 58 countries to use ecosystem approaches in sectoral planning and processes.
