PS536, Global Environmental Law and Policy
Spring Semester 2008
Session Outline - Week 5
International Environmental Institutions
I. Some Basic Concepts (these are not mutually exclusive categories)
International Organization
International Governmental Organization (IGO)
International Institution
International Regime
Definition: sets of implicit or explicit principles, norms, rules, and decision-making procedures around which actor' expectations converge in a given area of international relations--Stephen Krasner, 1982
International Governance
Nongovernmental Organization (NGO)
II. QUESTIONS COMMONLY ASKED ABOUT IGOS
How Are IGOs Created?
Who Can Become a Member?
How Do They Make Decisions?
What Powers Do IGOs Have?
How Are They Funded?
How Are They Staffed?
III. Central Organs of the United Nations (budget information)
Security Council
Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC)
Trusteeship Council
Secretariat
III. Specialized Agencies of the UN Dealing with Environmental Problems
IV. United Nations Environment Program (UNEP)
Environmental Monitoring
Global Environmental Monitoring System (GEMS)
Environmental Assessment
Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC)
Global Environment Outlook 3 (GEO3)
Environmental Law and Management
Regional Seas Program
Convention on Trade in Endangered Species
Ozone Layer Regime
Climate Change
"UN Agency Pressures Ban on Climate Change Summit," Reuters, January 30, 2007
Informational Networks
International Registry of Potentially Toxic Chemicals (IRPTC)
Global Environmental Information Exchange Network (INFOTERRA)
Global Resources Information Database (GRID)
Training, Education, and Public Opinion
Other UN Environmental Programs
Commission on Sustainable Development
V. Major International Economic Institutions
The World Bank (official name is International Bank for Reconstruction and Development) (Environmental Programs)
World Trade Organization (formerly GATT)
European Union (formerly the European Community)
VI. Group Political and Economic Actors