Analysis and proposals on Global Environmental Governance on the way to 2012 Rio Conference on Sustainable Development

Abstract

The purpose of this Master's Thesis is to analyze the Institutional Framework for Sustainable Development debate that is currently happening into the ongoing preparation process of the 2012 Conference on Sustainable Development, and more concretely about the Global Environmental Governance institutions within the United Nations. In order to achieve this aim this study contextualizes the previously mentioned debate, through three parts: historical review of the Global Environmental Governance, analysis of the current Multilateral Environmental Agreements, and United Nations actors' analysis. These three parts are essential to understand the Institutional Framework for Sustainable Development and Global Environmental Governance debate; as the actors and the Multilateral Environmental Agreements define the Institutional Framework that should make possible to face the Environmental problems and Challenges. After contextualizing the Global Environmental Governance, the Secretary-General Report on the Preparatory Committee Recently held in New York [1] is critically read, arriving to different conclusions and proposals; among them the fact that the United Nations trends to duplicate structures which work on similar topics, the suggestion that thematic clustering of some of the current MEAs could improve the lack of coordination among actors involved in the Institutional Framework for Sustainable Development, the need of creation of a Global monitoring system on Environmental impact assessment or the difficulties that the United Nations shows for integrating environmental topics within its structure.