Achievements inenvironmental law

25

mmtdlv ~ hmn mad

t m ~,~ ; ~ q ~ n ~

ar~m'.~m.m'.~ prog~am,'n~

al ~ hon mith G o w m m a n , s c ~ :=rn~d w i ~ ~.-

,,mad

I.~r~ S ~ ' m d ~:ew g 4 a l ~ m m g l a r ~

~a4',~m I~WIt11~S O# t l ¢ hl'~: ,II O: . I R I ~ " . ~ n o¢

mmlz 4z~ spe~TIc em,$ronrmml3d ~ . . , ~ . ~ . 4 ~ /J,-~d A~,~ LR::F.. l ~ ~T.~O. FAG. Is~tO. W ~ L l l l C O , I,IE,il. a4~e "~ ~

g~i, Kme¢

lad

Tral~lboun~an/ air I~'lkJldon {ECE, WHO, • ~ J ~ J f~me pare. 1131); i ~ ) Co.~1~1 ~mne managemllnt (U~ited Na,'~gio~lal cwnmis~ons, FAQ, WHO, IMCO~ | ~ e p i r L 135h !x) SOIl ~Jm;an~xion (FAO) (see p~lra. 231); (xi) Lagat ~fld a d m i n L ~ l l Z ~ e mer~anisms tee the pr~R~l~On and redr~as of pcllulJen damage (United Nations); {~ii) LBgal StuClkLS, ~echmcal ~ s ~ a n c e and [rainin.] E~r the promotion and dm/eloi~ mlllt~ ,~ Lql~ln3n/~liflBJ lngi~Ja'&':on (UNIDO. U 9DP. ILO. FAO, WHO. IMCO. WIPO, LAEA. IUCNL ~

m p m of spe¢~.~ e m ~ m n r 1 ~ n ~ l F*'o~s. k~bx~ W ~ of me inzam~/U~flEVIEMENTS

~ ~,~m

t~ r ~ b m ~ B 1 h a ~cope. b l ~ ar~d ~ md~ tegld and ~ mea-

•~lpl~mzrk~ form; d m m l o p m e n t o~ orom both i n m l ,tlt~ na[i~o~ ~o ems~me IIl~t~Cll~m. of o'Idn~ 9 and z~o~,d I ~ ~ o f i o ~ n ~ r , n d

and sCmu~ d~rm~

dm4 m~t~ C o m l k l m l m ~

mu~

ml~

b~ ~ m

m

t~icat c o - o ~

indudi~0 ~

rnea-

~.~ ~0. UNDP. LekTAIt I.O. FAO. WMO, ~ ' 0 . ti~C. ~JL ~

a n d w i l i n g z© w o n t m.~was

~rJ ,~'B~esed ~ . ~ M coe ce.'N'r,R~, for UNEP 5,~ ~ b ~ o r ~ d that dunp~ the r~erk>d ect~'d~s:

~ro,

pol~ m

n'w,~l Im pmKl z0 ~wl m ~ i n m ~ I n ~

mr'nee1~,~' ~gl.,-datm~. nwlchin,~y

(F~O, IL~'N, '.LO.~'iHO):"

~l,n~" r,~l ~ ~ o m b-,or#nlng parhes o¢ , m p l ~ m~g ~ m : t o d im~r ~wm~.~at ~r,xr~es ~ , k ~ m l

Ke ~

~

i ~ d rpd~-tl~ ~

d~l~'s ¢4 a~reernents,

m imewra a t ~ t ~ a t ~ n o:

E C ~ UNICT~O. I L ~ F~JO, WFO, :MOO. t.l~J~ l I N mh'~, 3"~":

L"P,O'. 4t@ #,a,O, ~

~

r - ~

=,, 1111mpm,i~l ~ 1 4 . - ~

meres m

E

~

A

IN

L

LAW*

i m H m l n ¢ ~ from t h e m p m t :

227. Progress has 10c-anmade n d[s=eminazing infon'na[k]n about interna~onal ~n~ronmencaJ I ~ 1 A manual of environmental regislazi~n (lJNEPIn?~na~onal A&socia;ron o[ Legit . ~ e r c e s , 1979] dsscrJbgs various LKhniques for idwr; [b~iz'~ and remedying defects and ~ap.; in n l J i o n l i environmental iog,szabon and machirmry. A handbook of enviroJ]mental LegLsla l i o n arid mBch.,nenf m being prepared to proinformation o n major general environ n t a n l l l klgisiaton a n d on the inn~qemen[azion and enforcRrnem OF envilonmenlal Laws and policies. II~mn:iatly at Ihe nathan,! level EAO publisbea and ~pdates informaL;on on [eg;..;a t~o;~ mlatiP~ Io food and agr.cu)ture It al.~ p u b ~ f l ~ i smlies of compar~ciVl sludles and monographs Bn legal texts of different caun~ t n ~ , and co-operales with d~_~eloping courtin drahing, updadn~ and irnproving their kz~sJa~ o n i n key sectors of ~l~q ran memal law. issues a quartBrly pL:bhcat,on enLillid h~ten'~riona/ D , ~ s r of Heath L~d~/a~on which ¢onlains instruments ~dopted by cOunlries und ~ t l ~ l u ~ o c ~ s o| internationaL organize!ions both iP~dll lind o u t . d e 11"~ United Nations SV'FAIIrn. W~4O also WaparelS comparalive surOf legisla.'ion on a w;de range o[ [0pros, e g. ~rotacbon agaln~t ionizing radiation UNEPIRPT~ Glubiis~-; k~gal data profdes fo ° secf~.m[ca~ ILO h~s an Internaliona! Pro..3rlm~'~1~ for li~a improuement ot Workmg Con d i ; i O ~ and Environment under which re~omm,~datlon~ are made for th~ g~l~enhon of ind.c~tnal ocarinas, protection of workers health. ~¢c~Jc~Li0naJ health ser',~ls, etc. The r4gron~l commLr~,on~ of Ihe United Nabons h l ~ e InltT~t~ p?ngrR,"~m~ to BeaSt co~nLri~J in d m ~ o f ~ r ~ r~lional envi~onmen~ I ~ s ~ a l l o n IUCN I~Ja b,)s had an Envlronmen:al Law Centre ~hi,.~ I ~ O V ~ s information on environmental law under :he 'Environmental Law Inh)rmalion Systm11" [ELISJ, and Lssuld in 1979 I publica Itw1 ~ntJt'~l "ln_'ernationaL Environmental L~V- ~ h m h is a c o m o e n d i u m of international Meabng el ,~emoz Governmen¢ Officials E~pe~ m E~vlmP,m e n l a l Law"" (Montevideo,

,WZ-~. ~cl~

ES,CL1. V~IO):

~.

U~K:II~. FAO. ~E,~l.

. s m l a~so i~,.le 2 •- ~ E.n~.,"G~,'~er,ta/ P,~:,cy and Law 8 I1) 2

(19821 ~ e 0378.777X,l~XX)0-O00~I~03,00

~

1983

North-Holland

Environmental Policy and Law, 10 (1~83)

26 19gll retornmend*d a programme for the da,,l~opmenf arid periodic review of Environrnen~ul L~w Th,a programrna defin|d the aubjecl ~r~=~ lot ~h=cn env,mnmenLal law should be dsvsr(Jpl:d ~s ~ei] a~ the objectives and slralagm~ and methods Of implementation, review 4nd lollow-up for each subject area. I'he aub~ ~a~t ;ir~ee noted Ba of first prioril¥ wets marine po]r~z,o~ from lend based sources of pollulion; ;,rol,JchOn of (lie slraLo~pheflC ozone layer; and n~nJp~rl handling ~nd disposal of Ioxic sub~lan
ronmenL has not been fully mat. Failure to meet this requirement was manifest in two cases weather moq]fication and natural resources shared by two or more States. In the latter case principles for the guidance of States in the conservation and harmonious exploitation of natural rlsources shared by bNO or more States were developed by 3 group of Governmentdesignated experts. Acceptance el these principles by Governments has not been forthcorn. ing, and UNEP is reviewing Ihe situation, The development of international law regarding liability and compensation for the victims of transboundary poilutlon and other envlronmenLsl damage has not been completed. In lg77, a group of governmental and other ex parts established by UNEP identified priont~ areas of study. Subsequently, s UNEP working group of experts esbahllshad in 197B undertook a study on legal aspects of marine pollution caused by off-shore mining and drilling within national jurisdiction, and examined inter ella the question of liabgity and compensation." However, the problem still awaits thorough elaboration and soda,cation. In this connection, il should be noted that a n u m b e r of important international conventions, notably the draft Law of the Sea Convention, call far the further development of international law in this area. The International Law Commission is currendy examining the question of international liability for infurious consBquencas arising out of ~cts not prohibifed by international l a w E • See Environments/Policy and Law 6 [3) (lOB0) page 147.

13TH SOUTH PACIFIC FORUM* On Nuclear Testing and Waste Dis-

posal T I ~ 13th South Pacific Forum

Recll~ng its strong condemnation Of France's continued nuclear weapon testing in the South Pacific and failure to provide full details of L;le effects of past testing activities on Pacific peoples and ~ha environment; p e ~ n d n a d to prevent further exploitation of the Pacific for nuclear purposes in ways which damage the interests of the South Pacific States and the environment of the region; Reaffirming its grave concern at the possible environmental hazards in the event of the Pacific becoming an international d u m p i n g ground for nuclear wames, 1. Urges France irnmedia[aly to cease its nu steer tasting in the South Pacific rag;on; 2. Ca/Ix on ell States and eepemafiy the nuclear weapon States not to store or dump nuclear wastes in the Poe[lie.

On Fisheries and Law of the Sea

Convention The 13th South Pacific Forum

1. E x p r m e x satisfaction at the adoption of a Convention on the Law o f the Sea after years of negofiations. 2. Ra=fflrms its concern over the United Sta~es of America position on the Convention aP [ norl= with regret that the United States ~r America administration has now decided not to sign or become party to the Convention of the Lew o[ the Sea. 3. ExprlL~sls [he hope the other developed states do not adopt a similar stance to that of the United States of America. 4. Urgfs members to sign the Treab/ at the Signing Conference

Rsst)lution on U.S. P~,i,.y an Highly Migratory Species The 13th SoLith Pacific Forum Awarll of the vital Importance of 5sher;es, comprising highly migrator'/ species, to the Island Nations ol the Pacific; Canxint~ine that Lhere has been virtually unanimous rB:ognition of the sovereign rights of coastal SteLes to exploit the resources of their fisheries zones inclJding highly migratory species; Mindful of the adoption, on 3g April 19g2. of the In[ernatlonal Convention or the Law of the Sea; Noting that the United States ol America. within ~Ls fisheries zone. asserts its rights aver billfieh, which are highly migratory species: BHHng in mind the close co-operation in #izneries among the Forum member and obsalver countries, and their developing relationship in fisheries with distant water fishing nalions which do recognise sovereign rights in respect of all highly migrator-/species; ]'fle d¢Jve cDFrIc hack; LhaL m e a n s the air [s still p o U u t e d e v e n / w h e r e . " Courtesy: ~L..i. Press

0378-777X 93 OO00-O000 $03 00 c.~ 1983 North-Holland

qSae also page 3.