The 蘑菇视频 General Assembly today agreed to take the first step toward considering whether a new international instrument was needed to address gaps between international environmental agreements.
By a vote of 143-6, with six countries abstaining and 38 countries not voting, countries requested the 蘑菇视频 Secretary-General to submit a report identifying gaps in international environmental law and environment-related instruments, and to convene an intergovernmental conference to adopt an international instrument, if necessary,? during the first half of 2019.
The General Assembly resolution, “Towards a Global Pact for the Environment,” calls for the establishment of a working group to consider the Secretary-General’s report during the Assembly’s next session. If necessary, the working group would discuss the scope, parameters and feasibility of an international instrument and make recommendations to the Assembly, which may include the convening of an intergovernmental conference to adopt such an international instrument during the first half of 2019.
French 蘑菇视频 Ambassador Fran?oise Delattre said that unprecedented degradation of the environment had already caused hundreds of thousands of deaths and that environmental threats particularly affected the world’s most vulnerable populations.? “If we do not act, we will be exposed to dramatic consequences,” he warned.? While the Rio Declaration on Environment and Development had helped develop environmental guidelines, it was time for the international community to take on new responsibilities.
He added that the had shown that it was possible to take concrete steps by developing a new tool.
The Spokesperson for the President of the General Assembly, Brenden Varma, said that the GA President would appoint the two co?chairs for the working group, one from a developing country and the other from a developed one, to oversee consultations.