International Environmental Governance Reform: Inputs to the African preparatory process

This report by the International Institute for Sustainable Development (IISD) provides a set of policy options and principles to inform the African preparatory process for the United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development (Rio+20). It argues that the current international environmental governance (IEG) regime is fragmented and fails Africa, which suffers acutely from environmental degradation. The document proposes reforms focused on implementation, accountability, and the transformation of the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) into a more powerful international institution.

• The current international environmental governance (IEG) regime is described as fragmented and overly focused on global assessments and negotiations, which results in a failure to ensure enforcement, compliance, and implementation on the ground, particularly in Africa.
• IISD proposes four guiding principles for IEG reform: it must be sustainable development-focused, equity-focused, accountability-focused, and implementation-focused. This includes a preference for fewer environmental promises if those made are actually implemented.
• To address the 'implementation gap,' the report suggests a thorough review of all sustainable development goals and resolutions adopted since the 1992 Rio Earth Summit and proposes a moratorium on new international environmental negotiations until an implementation plan is advanced.
• The report advocates for robust accountability mechanisms to link promises with delivery, including a monitoring system with measurable goals, an international peer review process on compliance, and a system of rewards for performance, such as trade preferences or preferential access to credit.
• Regarding finance, the document proposes a transparent global mechanism to track all international financial resources flowing through the sustainable development system and suggests reducing the number of funds to potentially one large facility similar to the Global Environmental Facility (GEF) to lower transaction costs.
• The report argues that any reform of UNEP must go beyond a name change to avoid creating an 'empty shell.' It suggests UNEP should be strengthened, consolidated, or transformed into a specialized agency or a World Environment Organization with a strong mandate, stable funding, and increased authority over Multilateral Environmental Agreements (MEAs).
• The document suggests upgrading the UNCSD into a Council on Sustainable Development, modeled after the Human Rights Council, to serve as the principal forum for monitoring implementation and integrating the environmental, social, and economic pillars of sustainable development.

APA

-1, Halle, M., Najam, A., & Beaton, C. (2011). International Environmental Governance Reform: Inputs to the African preparatory process. International Institute for Sustainable Development. https://www.iisd.org/system/files/publications/international_enviro_gov_africa.pdf

Chicago

-1, Mark Halle, Adil Najam, and Christopher Beaton. International Environmental Governance Reform: Inputs to the African preparatory process. International Institute for Sustainable Development, 2011. https://www.iisd.org/system/files/publications/international_enviro_gov_africa.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |last1=-1 |last2=Halle |first2=Mark |last3=Najam |first3=Adil |last4=Beaton |first4=Christopher |title=International Environmental Governance Reform: Inputs to the African preparatory process |publisher=International Institute for Sustainable Development |date=October 2011 |url=https://www.iisd.org/system/files/publications/international_enviro_gov_africa.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{12011international, author = {-1 and Halle, Mark and Najam, Adil and Beaton, Christopher}, title = {{International Environmental Governance Reform: Inputs to the African preparatory process}}, institution = {International Institute for Sustainable Development}, year = {2011}, month = oct, url = {https://www.iisd.org/system/files/publications/international_enviro_gov_africa.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }