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A GUIDE TO DRAFTING SUSTAINABLE SOILS LEGISLATION
25 October 2004
 The World Summit on Sustainable Development recognized the importance of promoting programmes for the environmentally sound, effective and efficient use of soil fertility. A sound legal and institutional framework for managing soils is not only critical for food production, but also for biological diversity conservation and poverty alleviation. This Guide to Drafting Sustainable Soils Legislation, the latest in the IUCN Environmental Law Programme (ELP) series, addresses all of these aspects. It also responds to Resolution 2.59 from the 2nd IUCN World Conservation Congress, which called upon the IUCN ELP to "prepare guidelines and explanatory material relating to principles and elements of national legislation and policy to assist States to manage their specific soil degradation and land degradation problems". This Guide is the result of the efforts of the IUCN CEL Sustainable Soils Specialist Group, with support from the IUCN ELC and the International Water Management Institute.
To download a copy of the Guide click here.
For more information on IUCN CEL Specialist Groups click here.
INTEGRATED WATER RESOURCES MANAGEMENT GLOBAL COURSE
20 October 2004
 The importance of integrated water resources management (IWRM) to achieving sustainable development was the subject of a global training course conducted by The World Bank Institute (WBI) in Divonne, France from 11-15 October. The course dedicated a full day to the legal, institutional and regulatory dimensions of IWRM, which included an overview of national legislation by Stefano Burchi from FAO, an analysis of negotiation techniques by Ana-maria Kleymeyer from WBI and a detailed case study of the Murray Darling Basin Initiative by John Scanlon, IUCN Environmental Law Programme. The presentations gave participants the opportunity to understand the importance of the legal, institutional and regulatory dimensions of IWRM. The training course was also supported by UNITAR, WMO/OMM, and the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation.
For more information on the IUCN Environmental Law Programme and IWRM click here.
WATER GOVERNANCE IN WEST AFRICA
19 October 2004
 In the United Nations Millenium Declaration, States resolved to stop the unsustainable exploitation of water resources by developing water management strategies at local, national and regional levels. Two years later, at the World Summit on Sustainable Development (WSSD), States committed to develop integrated water resources management and efficiency plans by 2005. 'Water Governance in West Africa', the latest publication in the IUCN Environmental Law Programme Series, addresses a wide range of global, regional and local issues relating to water resources governance in West Africa, contributing to meeting the challenges and targets set in the Millennium Declaration and the WSSD Johannesburg Plan of Implementation. The publication follows a workshop jointly organised by the IUCN Regional Office in West Africa (BRAO) and the IUCN Environmental Law Programme (ELP) in Oagadougou in 2002.
To obtain a copy of the publication click here.
LINKING THE PROTECTION OF THE MEDITERRANEAN AND BLACK SEAS
15 October 2004
 The first International gathering of judges and environmental law experts on the interrelationship between the protection of the Mediterranean and Black Seas was held at the Headquarters of the Veneto Region, Venice from 8-9 October. The conference was convened by the International Court of the Environment Foundation (ICEF), and brought together judges and experts from many organizations including: UNESCO, the Arab Union of Judges for the Protection of the Environment, the Italian Ministries for Foreign Affairs and for the Environment, the Italian Supreme Court of Cassation, the Istanbul Bilgi University, the Cousteau Society, and IUCN, represented by the Head of the IUCN Environmental Law Programme. The Expert Group noted the outcomes from the Legal Workshop 'Towards an Improved Governance of the Mediterranean Beyond Territorial Sea', convened by the IUCN Centre for Mediterranean Cooperation in March of this year. A major international conference of experts from all relevant disciplines was recommended to be held in 2005.
The Venice Statement
For more information on the IUCN Centre for Mediterranean Cooperation click here.
IUCN ACADEMY OF ENVIRONMENTAL LAW HIGHLIGHTS LAND USE FOR SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT
11 October 2004
 The importance of land use for sustainable development has been addressed by leading academics from around the world at the 2nd Colloquium of the IUCN Academy of Environmental Law, hosted by the University of Nairobi from 4-7 October. The Keynote address by Dr Ali Mekouar, FAO, set the scene for a highly successful colloquium by analysing the new Africa Convention and its potential for advancing sustainable land use approaches in Africa. Speakers from the Government of Kenya, the City of Nairobi, the University of Nairobi, UNEP, UN-HABITAT, and IUCN, were joined by academics representing 45 Universities from 35 countries, with the 2005 distinguished lectures on environmental law being delivered by Prof. Akio Morishima. Edited papers from the Colloquium will be published by Cambridge University Press in 2005, in the Second Edition of the Environmental Law Research Studies series.
For more information on the IUCN Academy of Environmental Law click here.
Message from the UN Secretary General
News September 2004 >
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