Towards more ambition for the 2022 High-Level Declaration

Following the Nairobi negotiations on the draft Global Pact for the Environment, UNGA resolution 73/333 of 30 August 2019 launched a second round of consultations of States, which is currently underway. Its aim is to lead to the adoption of a High-Level Declaration in 2022.

As we have seen with the Global Pact for the Environment, it is difficult to reach an ambitious text that brings together the principles of international environmental law.

Yet it has never been so urgent given the overall critical situation. 2020 was the hottest year ever in the world. Extreme climate events are becoming more frequent. All countries are concerned, in particular the more vulnerable. To tackle the crisis, all forces must be mobilized, in particular the law.

In 2021, there are many opportunities to move the negotiations forward. COP 15 on Biodiversity organized by China, COP 26 on climate change organized by the UK and the meeting of the United Nations Environment Assembly in Nairobi are several essential events. In 2022, the adoption of a wide-ranging High-Level Declaration adoption will be an important step.

To achieve this, we must be convinced that law is a driving force that makes it possible to protect the environment while maintaining the economy and the development.

The work of leading environmental law experts must be heard to provide diplomats negotiating the Declaration with actionable legal advice. Implementing the existing law is important, but we also need ambition to be more efficient.

The “Pathway to the 2022 Declaration Blog” is written “by jurists for diplomats” to feed the ongoing discussions with legal proposals. It is our hope that this Blog will bring inspiration to the work of diplomats and facilitate the negotiations on the Declaration.

It is our responsibility to strengthen international environmental law and adapt it to environmental and development challenges.