Regional institutions and mechanisms
Regional integration agreements can harmonize standards among Mechanisms attached to regional trade agreements, such as NAFTA’s
member countries (such as the European Union’s new Sustainable Commission for Environmental Cooperation (CEC) and the ASEAN
Development Strategy 2007), and implement programmes that foster Agreement on Transboundary Haze Pollution, can address cross-border
regional cooperation in, for example, fisheries, chemicals and hazardous environmental issues through intergovernmental cooperation.
waste management (such as NEPAD’s Action Plan of the Environment
Initiative). Regional or sub-regional environment and development organizations,
such as the UN regional economic commissions, regional development
Regional MEAs or implementation mechanisms can bridge international banks, and the Central American Commission on Environment and
and national levels (such as Africa’s Bamako Convention in response to Development (CCAD), can play an important role in data collection and
the Basel Convention on the Control of Transboundary Movements of analysis, capacity building, and resource allocation and management.
Hazardous Wastes and their Disposal). They can reinforce and translate
international commitments (such as the Andean Community’s Regional Transboundary or bioregion-based plans and programmes, such as the
Biodiversity Strategy to implement the Convention on Biological Diversity). Mekong River Commission, the Pacific Regional Environment Programme
(SPREP) and UNEP’s Regional Seas Programme, are important for data
Regional ministerial arrangements, such as the African Ministerial collection, analysis and dissemination, sectoral and resource assessment,
Conference on the Environment (AMCEN) and the Tripartite Environment policy development, capacity development and monitoring.
Ministers’ Meetings (TEMM) between China, Korea and Japan, are high-
level political fora that can set regional priorities and agendas, and raise
awareness of regional concerns.
There are examples of good environmental govern- clear targets exist concerning access to piped water
ance and investments in new technologies that provide and basic sanitation, which are linked to the broader
models for other regions. However, progress on the objective of reducing the most pressing aspects of pov-
environmental front in developed countries is often erty. By contrast, although the objective of integrated
achieved at the expense of developing countries. This watershed management is almost equally widespread,
imbalance is expressed by the notion of “ecological targets concerning how to implement it are rare.
debt.” Thus the outsourcing of energy, food and indus-
trial production can increase efficiency in one region Overexploitation, pollution of water and degradation
at the expense of others through the displacement of of aquatic ecosystems directly affect human well-be-
impacts. ing. Although the situation has improved, an estimated
2.6 billion people are without improved sanitation
At both global and local levels there has been facilities. If the trend from 1990 to 2002 continues,
progress in achieving environmental targets, although the world will miss the sanitation target of the MDG by
the situation is uneven. In terms of water, for example, half a billion people.
DownloaD Graphic 2
42 VITAL GEO GRAPHICS
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