Parliamentarians and Implementation of Environmental Law
23 May 2007 | News story
Within the framework of the UNEP Programme for Environmental Citizenship, members of the Parlatino's (Latin American Parliament) Environmental Commission met in Buenos Aires, Argentina, to discuss the feasibility of establishing a regional environmental court in Latin America to resolve cases of non compliance with environmental legislation.
The IUCN Environmental Law Programme was represented by Dr. Alejandro Iza, Director of the IUCN Environmental Law Centre who referred to the challenges of compliance and enforcement of Environmental Law in Latin America. While there are institutional and legal factors constraining effective implementation of the law, Dr. Iza stressed the need to address structural issues such as poverty, health, and corruption. Linkages between poverty, health and the environment are essential to achieve sustainable and long term solutions for effective compliance and enforcement of environmental legislation in the developing world. Proper valuing of the services provided by ecosystems and the establishment of adequate legal and institutional frameworks are fundamental for addressing poverty reduction, and sustainable livelihoods. IUCN is a strategic partner of UNEP in providing technical assistance to the Parlatino in its endeavours for equitable and sustainable development of it country members. At the end of the meeting, the Parliamentarians adopted the Declaration of Buenos Aires.
To see the Declaration of Buenos Aires click here