The UN Charter does not specifically mention the environment or sustainable development. However, there has been increased activity in the area over the years. Both the General Assembly and the Economic and Social Council consider environmental questions.
The UN leads environmental policy development through the work of some key bodies.
UN activity in the field of environment has been driven by major conferences and reports.
The UN Enviromental Programme (UNEP) usually provides secretariat support for UN MEA treaty-monitoring bodies and leads UN-system coordination on MEAs. The following are three examples of UN bodies at work on this topic.
Many MEAs call for national reports from states parties about the status of implementation of the convention's provision in the national context. The Conference of the Parties may review the reports as well as take other actions.
The UN Framework Convention on Climate Change sets an overall framework for intergovernmental efforts to tackle the challenge posed by climate change. The Conference of the Parties is the supreme decision-making body of the Convention. All States that are Parties to the Convention are represented at the COP.
The Vienna Convention for the Protection of the Ozone Layer and its Montreal Protocol on Substances that Deplete the Ozone Layer are dedicated to the protection of the earth's ozone layer.
The Convention on Biological Diversity has 3 objectives: the conservation of biological diversity; the sustainable use of the components of biological diversity; and the fair and equitable sharing of the benefits arising out of the utilization of genetic resources.
Global Environment Outlook
/
UNEP Yearbook
/
UN Yearbook
/
Arabic: وثائق الأمم المتحدة: البيئة
Chinese: 联合国文件: 环境
English: UN Documentation: Environment