Environmental Rule of Law

Access and control of natural resources, particularly those that are considered strategic has not only been a source of welfare and prosperity in the Americas, but also a source of tensions. Despite the efforts of Member States to promote and strengthen capacities for the peaceful settlement of disputes and for the promotion of inclusive dialogue [12], hemispheric trends show that socio-environmental conflicts are on the rise [13]. This is in part due to scarcity, population movements driven by environmental change, and the deficit in the legal-policy frameworks that regulate resource exploitation and distribution of wealth. Efforts in this area are focused on the foundations of peace building: good governance and civil society [4]. In other words, on strengthened, effective, transparent and inclusive institutions for sustainable development, on promoting trust and the conditions to ease and prevent socio-environmental tensions from scaling up [5], [6].

[4] OECD. Directrices del CAD sobre los conflictos, la paz y la cooperación para el desarrollo]
[5]Resolución 66/288, “El futuro que queremos”,
[6]Resolución A/70/L.1 “Transformar nuestro mundo: la agenda 2030 para el desarrollo sostenible”].
[12] AG RES 2833 XLIV-O/14 “Dialogo Inclusivo para el abordaje eficaz de la conflictividad social en la inversión para el desarrollo integral”.