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This briefing discusses the implications of the International Court of Justice (ICJ) Advisory Opinion on the Obligations of States in Respect of Climate Change for Multilateral Environmental Agreements (MEAs), emphasizing that states must now implement climate-related provisions across different treaties in a systemic and integrated manner to ensure compliance with international law.

This policy brief examines the implications of the International Court of Justice (ICJ) advisory opinion on climate change for multilateral environmental agreements (MEAs), emphasizing that states must now implement climate provisions in an integrated and systemic manner to ensure compliance with international law.

This policy brief analyzes the July 2025 International Court of Justice (ICJ) Advisory Opinion on the Obligations of States in Respect of Climate Change, specifically focusing on how it affects the implementation of Multilateral Environmental Agreements (MEAs). The document argues that the ICJ rejected the 'lex specialis' doctrine, ruling instead that climate obligations are integrated with other environmental treaties, human rights law, and customary international law.

This policy brief by the Center for International Environmental Law (CIEL) analyzes the status of the global plastics treaty following the Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee's fifth session (INC-5.3) in February 2026. It specifically evaluates the 'start-and-strengthen' approach—a model where a treaty is adopted with core obligations and progressively enhanced through future decisions—contrasting it with 'bottom-up' models based on voluntary national actions. The brief examines three draft texts from the Chair and various member state proposals, arguing that for a start-and-strengthen model to succeed, the treaty must include legally operative objectives, periodic effectiveness evaluations, and a procedural path for normative evolution, such as voting mechanisms to avoid deadlocks.

This briefing note by the Forum on Trade, Environment, & the SDGs (TESS) examines trade-related considerations within the Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee (INC) process to develop a legally binding international instrument on plastic pollution. It analyzes how proposed treaty obligations—such as restrictions on certain plastics and waste trade controls—intersect with international trade law, the risk of protectionism, and the implementation capacities of developing nations.

This guide by the International Institute for Sustainable Development (IISD) provides a comprehensive overview of the negotiations for an international legally binding instrument (ILBI) to end plastic pollution. It details the scientific evidence of plastic's impact on human health and the environment, the history of the Intergovernmental Negotiating Committee (INC) process, the contested elements of the proposed treaty, and the diverse interests of national governments and non-state stakeholders.

This policy brief by the Center for International Environmental Law (CIEL) examines the legal distinctions between decisions made by a Conference of the Parties (COP) and the more formal processes of treaty amendments or new annexes. Using examples from various multilateral environmental agreements, it argues that COPs generally cannot fundamentally alter Party rights or obligations through simple decisions, highlighting the importance of securing strong provisions during initial treaty negotiations, particularly for the future plastics treaty.

This briefing by the Center for International Environmental Law (CIEL) analyzes historical negotiation timelines of multilateral environmental agreements (MEAs) to provide pathways for the development of a future international legally binding instrument on plastic pollution. It argues that the current ambition to complete the plastics treaty by the end of 2024 is tight and suggests that previous treaties, such as the Rotterdam, Minamata, and BBNJ agreements, demonstrate that negotiations can legally and practically extend beyond initial deadlines without requiring new mandates from governing bodies.

This policy brief by the Center for International Environmental Law (CIEL) provides a detailed analysis and commentary on the Revised Zero Draft of the international plastics treaty. It evaluates various options for the treaty's structure and obligations, advocating for legally binding mandates ('shall' instead of 'should'), a full life-cycle approach to plastic pollution, and the inclusion of human rights and health dimensions. CIEL emphasizes the necessity of controlling primary plastic polymer production and eliminating hazardous chemicals to achieve the treaty's objective of ending plastic pollution.

This policy brief by the Center for International Environmental Law discusses the role of implementation and compliance mechanisms in Multilateral Environmental Agreements (MEAs) to provide recommendations for the negotiation of a plastics treaty.

This briefing from the Center for International Environmental Law clarifies the distinctions and complementarities between national implementation plans (NIPs), national action plans (NAPs), and nationally determined contributions (NDCs) within the context of multilateral environmental agreements, specifically providing recommendations for a future plastics treaty.

This briefing by the Center for International Environmental Law (CIEL) examines the role of non-party trade provisions in Multilateral Environmental Agreements (MEAs) to provide guidance for the development of a future international treaty to end plastic pollution. It argues that trade restrictions on non-parties are essential to incentivize ratification, prevent 'free-riding', and ensure the overall effectiveness of environmental treaties.

This report from the IAI Directorate Science-Policy, prepared for the 26th meeting of the Conference of the Parties (CoP) in Antigua, Guatemala, details activities undertaken to improve the provision of scientific information to governments for public policy development. It outlines the Directorate's efforts to establish relationships with multilateral environmental agreements, enhance the capacity of IAI Parties, and increase the visibility of the IAI among non-Parties and under-engaged members.

The report from the Executive Directorate of the Inter-American Institute for Global Change Research (IAI) details activities and strategies to strengthen the science-policy interface. It focuses on providing scientific information to governments for policy-making, enhancing cooperation with multilateral environmental agreements, and increasing the visibility of the IAI among member and non-member states in the Americas.

This 2014 report by the Stockholm Environment Institute (SEI) Tallinn Centre evaluates the coherence and effectiveness of Estonia's implementation of four multilateral environmental agreements (MEAs) related to biodiversity: the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD), the Ramsar Convention, CITES, and the Convention on Migratory Species (CMS). Using a 15-category benchmarking methodology, the review finds that Estonia's overall implementation effectiveness is relatively high, with 'Cross-border cooperation' scoring as the strongest area and all other categories performing at a moderate level.

This research paper evaluates a capacity-building approach designed to help policy-makers in the Caribbean region mainstream Multilateral Environmental Agreements (MEAs) into national and regional development strategies. Using a six-step process based on the Driving Forces–Pressure–State–Impact–Response (DPSC-DPSIR) framework, the authors conductedSSSS conducted three training applications in Suriname, St. Vincent and the Grenadines, and St. Lucia. The study identifies key barriers to implementation, including limited human and financial resources, a lack of cross-sectoral collaboration, and the perception that MEAs are the sole responsibility of a single ministry.

This training module provides integrated environmental assessment (IEA) tools designed to help Caribbean nations align the implementation of multilateral environmental agreements (MEAs) with national and sectoral development priorities.

This report, prepared by the Center for International Environmental Law (CIEL) for the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), analyzes various voluntary and legally binding international options to reduce risks to human health and the environment from mercury pollution. It evaluates these options against seven global priorities, including reducing atmospheric emissions, managing mercury waste, and curbing global supply.

This briefing by the Center for International Environmental Law (CIEL) analyzes the 2006 WTO panel reports in the EC-Biotech dispute, specifically focusing on the panel's refusal to integrate Multilateral Environmental Agreements (MEAs) into the interpretation of WTO law. The author argues that the panel's narrow interpretation of the Vienna Convention on the Law of Treaties deviates from previous Appellate Body jurisprudence, such as the US-Shrimp case, and undermines the principle of 'mutual supportiveness' between trade and environmental policies.

This research paper proposes and applies a quantitative methodology to measure policy coherence among Multilateral Environmental Agreements (MEAs) and the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs). Using content analysis of strategy documents, the authors develop a Policy Coherence Matrix (PCM) to evaluate the degree of integration across goals, instruments, and actors.