Asia Pacific Conference on Environmental Justice
and Enforcement
14-16 January 2008, Bangkok, Thailand

Background

UNEP has been mandated by the UN General Assembly and UNEP’s Bali Strategic Plan to assist developing countries with capacity building in the field of environmental law. In 2002, UNEP organized the Global Judges Symposium in Johannesburg, which brought together more than 120 chief justices and senior judges from over 60 countries. The Johannesburg Principles, the main outcome of the Symposium recognized the crucial role that the judiciary plays in enhancing environmental governance and the rule of law, and requested UNEP to provide assistance in capacity building of the judiciary and other legal stakeholders in compliance and enforcement of environmental law. In pursuant to the above mandates, UNEP is now organizing this Asia Pacific Regional Conference on Environmental Justice and Enforcement.

Objective of the Conference

This conference aims to provide judges, prosecutors and other legal stakeholders in the Asia and the Pacific region with an opportunity to enhance their capacity and competence in providing access to justice and enforcement, including through the exchange of information on compliance and enforcement of environmental law including multilateral environmental agreements (MEAs) and the legal/judicial systems prevalent in their respective countries. It also aims to help define the strategic direction that UNEP should follow in those areas.

Themes of the Conference

The overall theme: Mainstreaming the environment in the judiciary and enforcement

The sub-themes:

• Emerging trends in the judiciary and in enforcement to address environmental matters
• The role of other legal stakeholders to prevent and mitigate environmental damage
• Global environmental objectives and national legal responses: interface between international policy and legal frameworks and national legal system
• Means to prevent environmentally harmful activities and mitigate environmental damage: experiences in ensuring access to judicial and administrative proceedings, including redress and remedy; innovative approaches
• Assessment of strengths and weaknesses of the existing national legal systems to address environmental issues of international concerns, and consideration of a way forward

Participants

More then 85 participants representing all five sub-regions (Central Asia, North East Asia, South Asia, South East Asia and South Pacific) in the Asia and the Pacific region participated in the Conference, including judges, prosecutors, investigators, enforcement officials and other legal stakeholders involved in compliance and enforcement of environmental law.

Languages      

The working languages of the conference are English and Russian. Simultaneous interpretation between English and Russian was provided during the conference for participants from Central Asia, while documents are issued mainly in English. 

Venue:   Amari Watergate Hotel, Bangkok, Thailand

Organizer:  UNEP Division of Environmental Law and Conventions and Regional Office for Asia and the Pacific, in cooperation with the Asian Environmental Compliance and Enforcement Network