A regional treaty to implement the Mediterranean strategy for sustainable development

Abstract

This research project proposes a Regional Treaty to Implement the Mediterranean Strategy for Sustainable Development. It takes as its point of departure the Mediterranean Strategy for Sustainable Development and analyses it and proposes a new legal instrument to follow up in securing the objectives of the Strategy by formulating them into legal obligations. Initially, there is a brief overview of the evolvement of the Strategy from previous legal instruments and the need for a treaty to implement the Mediterranean Strategy for Sustainable Development by first assessing the strategy is deliberated. Next, substantive obligations on the general themes of sustainable development assess the major rights and obligations of states that emanate from current legal sources aiming at the implementation of sustainable development. Then the attention shifts to procedural obligations, financing and reporting which are pivotal for the success of the proposed Treaty. The Regional Treaty in question attempts to provide procedural obligations for countries to integrate and better coordinate sustainable development into their national policies between different levels and sectors of government and other stakeholders. The elements for a legal framework for the main themes identified in the Strategy are then considered and possible obligations and actions for every theme are explored and discussed. Finally, the current and future prospective achievements of the proposed Treaty are underlined and revision every five to seven years is suggested.