Multilateralism and environmental governance : the importance of ERA’s role on the international stage

Abstract

Ever since its establishment in 2016, the Environment and Resources Authority (ERA) in Malta has consolidated its representation in international fora, a testament to its commitment towards multilateral cooperation. This ever-growing presence is also governed by the tenets of environmental governance and best practice. The importance of its role plays out on two main fronts: (i) at the European level, where it actively follows and contributes to policy-level discussions and technical cooperation between Member States in formulating its ever-growing body of environmental legislation, policy and strategy, and (ii) at the international level, where the authority contributes in a similar manner, in fora falling mostly under the United Nations umbrella. This representation has increasingly become more significant through: (i) increased attendance in international meetings, particularly as the authority grew in staff numbers, (ii) active participation in both preparatory meetings and formal plenary sessions, including Meetings of the Parties (MOPs) and Conference of the Parties (COPs), and (iii) transmission of technical comments and positions.

This paper, therefore, presents a discussion of multilateralism and its importance, framing it within the role of the ERA as a catalyst in these high-level international discussions. It starts by a generic discussion defining multilateralism, continuing with presenting the contribution of the authority to three of these international instruments, namely the Espoo and Aarhus Conventions and the BBNJ Agreement, which are discussed in the subsequent sections, highlighting the contribution of the Authority to these MEAs.