Multilateral Environmental AgreementsMEAs

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Multilateral Environmental Agreements(MEAs)
Jawed Ali Khan, Director (PEPC)
Ministry of Environment, Government of Pakistan
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Presentation Sequence

• What is an an MEA?
• What are the different forms of MEAs
• 3. What was the need to ratify MEAs in Pakistan
• 4. What difference it made in the existing
  environmental scenario
• 5. How many agreements have been signed and
  ratified by Pakistan
• 6. What are the existing incentives, drivers and
  market forces which facilitates implementation of
  MEAs
• 7. How these MEAs have been incorporated in the
  policy making process
• 8. How MEAs are linked to the National
  Environmental Policy 2005

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What is an an MEA?

• The term Multilateral Environmental Agreement
  or MEA is a broad term that relates to any of a
  number of legally binding international
  instruments through which national governments
  commit to achieving specific environmental goals.

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What are the different forms of MEAs

• These agreements may take different forms, such
  as convention, treatyagreement, charter,
  final act, pact, accord covenant,
  protocol, or constitution, ( for an
  international organization). The 1969 Vienna
  Convention on the law of Treaties defines a
  treaty as an international agreement
  concluded between States in written form and
  governed by international law, whether embodied
  in a single instrument or in two or more related
  instruments and whatever its particular
  designation,.

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What are the different forms of MEAs

• As a practical matter, though, treaty,
  convention, and agreement are often used
  interchangeably. An amendment is a formal
  alteration of the treaty provisions affecting the
  parties to a particular agreement.

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What was the need to ratify MEAs in Pakistan

• Pakistan being a party to the United Nations has
  remained actively involved in the global
  initiatives on various maters including
  environment.
• Pakistan was one of the core member states who
  took lead in the first historical conference on
  Human Environment held in Stockholm in 1972.

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What difference it made in the existing
environmental scenario

• As a follow up to the emerging environmental
  concerns, government of Pakistan established an
  Environment Cell in the Presidential Affairs
  Division in Late 1972.
• The Environment Cell was expanded and given the
  status of a full fledged Division housed in
  the Ministry of Housing and Works in 1980s.

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What difference it made in the existing
environmental scenario

• With the expansion of the Environmental canvas at
  the global level and increasing commitments at
  the national level, the government of Pakistan
  raised the status of the Environment Division is
  full fledged Ministry of Environment in 1991.
• Pakistan was one of the first countries in the
  world which prepared a NCS. This document was
  comprehensive response to the emerging
  environmental issues confronting Pakistan at the
  national level as well as for meeting its
  international commitments being a Party to
  various

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What was the need to ratify MEAs in Pakistan

• Environmental Conventions and Protocols. Pakistan
  not only presented this document at the second
  earth Summit held in Rio-de-Janeiro in 1992 but
  also being the leader of G-77 and China led the
  discussions and negotiations on Agenda 23 as well
  as Rio Conventions ( UNFCCC, UNCBD, UNCCD) at the
  formative stage to protect and safeguard the
  interest of the developing countries.

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What was the need to ratify MEAs in Pakistan

• The Government of Pakistan realizing the gaps
  due to expansion of the environmental canvas,
  drafted a comprehensive and permanent legislation
  on environment replacing Environmental Protection
  Ordinance, 1983 with the Pakistan Environmental
  Protection Act, 1997.
• The National Environmental Quality Standards
  approved in 1993, for liquid solids and Gaseous
  emissions were reviewed and revised in late 1990s
  in consultation with the industrialists,
  environmental experts and other stakeholders to
  facilitate implementation of NEQs in Pakistan.

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What was the need to ratify MEAs in Pakistan

• The Government of Pakistan launched a
  comprehensive program called SMART ( self
  Monitoring and Reporting Tool) to monitor release
  of effluents and emissions from the Industries
  initially with 50 industrial Units later
  expending to 200 and 400 Industrial Units all
  across the country under phase-I program.

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What was the need to ratify MEAs in Pakistan

• Based on the experiences learnt in phase-I, Govt.
  of Pakistan in in the process of launching
  SMART-I program to cover the entire industrial
  sector.
• Further several projects and initiatives have
  been launched in response to enforcement of MEAs
  which include launching of GEF funded projects in
  Pakistan in the areas of UNFCCC, UNCBD and UNCCD,
  the total funding exceeds 40 million US , where
  as a large number of CDM other acts are also in
  the pipeline.

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How many agreements have been signed and ratified
by Pakistan
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How many agreements have been signed and ratified
by Pakistan
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How many agreements have been signed and ratified
by Pakistan
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What are the existing incentives, drivers and
market forces which facilitates implementation of
MEAs

• 1) Existing Incentives
• Under the recent budget announced by the
  government ( FY 2005-06) and in the draft trade
  policy lowest slab of duties and taxes have been
  imposed on the import of environmental abatement
  equipments and machineries to help compliance of
  National Environmental Quality Standards and ISO
  14000.
• The Government provides 50 contribution in the
  processing fee, to the industries applying for
  ISO 14000 certification.

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What are the existing incentives, drivers and
market forces which facilitates implementation of
MEAs

• 2) Drivers
• The lifting of trade barriers for providing level
  playing field to the WTO member parties serves as
  a strong driver and pushes the industries towards
  compliance of the provisions of the Multilateral
  Environmental Agreements such as in the import
  and export of hazardous waste under Basel
  Convention, endangered species under CITES, GMOs
  under Cartagena Protocol and Import of CFC gases
  as well as phasing out of ODS under Montreal
  Protocol.

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What are the existing incentives, drivers and
market forces which facilitates implementation of
MEAs

• 3) Market Forces
• After the enforcement of WTO trade regime, the
  developed country Parties are free to envoke and
  enforce strict compliance of MEAs to the
  exporting countries desiring to enter into their
  market such as OECD countries etc.
• Under the emerging trading mechanisms, the global
  market is being Divided into blocks of trading
  partners such as NAFTA ( North Attanic Free Trade
  Agreement) between North America and Mexico,
  SAFTA between South Asian Countries Bilateral
  Free trade Agreement, such as between Pakistan
  and Srilanka, Pakistan and Bangladesh.

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What are the existing incentives, drivers and
market forces which facilitates implementation of
MEAs

• Grant of MFN ( Most favourd Nation) status to
  trading partners between SAARC countries such as
  India and Pakistan, Pakistan and Bangladesh,
  Pakistan and Sri Lanka etc.

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8. How these MEAs have been incorporated in the
Policy Making process?

• MEAs by their very nature and purpose are
  focused to an to an specific environmental issue
  such as Global warming and sea level rise under
  climate change convention on UNFCCC focuses on
  stabilization of Greenhouse gas concentrations in
  the atmosphere at a level that would prevent
  dangerous atmospheric ( man made) interference
  with the climate system.

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How these MEAs have been incorporated in the
Policy Making process?

• ii. Vienna convention for protection of Ozone
  layer and Montreal protocol on substances that
  deplete the ozone layer deals with protection of
  ozone layer and gradual phasing out of ozone
  depleting substances.
• iii. Basel convention on control of transboundary
  movement of hazardous water their disposal.

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How these MEAs have been incorporated in the
Policy Making process?

• iii. United Nations Convention on Desertification
  focusses on the heavy pressure on natural
  resources for livelihood etc. directly leading to
  land degradation and pressure on scarce water
  resources.
• iv. Kyoto Protocol on reduction of six Greenhouse
  Gases by at least 5 below 1990 level by the year
  2008 2012.

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How these MEAs have been incorporated in the
Policy Making process?

• v. Convention of International Trade in
  endangered species ( CITES) of flora and fauna
  and Convention on Migratory Species ( CMS) rely
  heavily on appendices to control prevent their
  extinction due to trade, habitat loss by catch
  etc.
• vi. Convention on Biodiversity focuses on
  sustainable use of the eco-systems, spec ices and
  genetic resources including biotechnology,
  addressing technology Development and transfer,
  benefit sharing and bio-safety.

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How these MEAs have been incorporated in the
Policy Making process?

• 2. All these conventions and protocols either
  contain obligatory or voluntary provisions for
  compliance by the member country parties.
• 3. Such provisions call for development of policy
  framework for respective MEAs dealing with
  specific Environmental issues at the
  international, national and local levels.

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8. How MEAs are linked to National Environmental
Policy 2005.

• Following objectives stated in the National
  Environmental Policy (NEP) identifies the link it
  aims to create between the MEAs and NEP.
• Conservation, restoration and efficient
  management environmental resources.
• Integration of environmental considerations in
  policy making and planning processes.
• Capacity building of government agencies and
  other stakeholders at all levels for better
  environmental management.
• Meeting international obligations effectively in
  line with the national aspirations.

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How MEAs are linked to National Environmental
Policy 2005.

• 2. The government would continue to play a
  proactive role to ensure protection of regional
  and global environment and cooperate with the
  international community in promotion of
  sustainable Development. In this context, the
  government may-
• Effectively participate in regional and
  international for a to foster cooperation for
  protection of environment and natural resources.

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How MEAs are linked to National Environmental
Policy 2005.

• Ensure effective implementation of all bilateral,
  regional and international multilateral
  environmental agreements, protocols and
  conventions to which Pakistan is a party, in line
  with national policies and priorities.
• Develop and implement national strategies and
  action plans for all multilateral environmental
  agreements, Johannesburg plan of Implementation
  and Millennium Development Goals.

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• THANK YOU