ABSTRACT
While on average one multilateral environmental agreement (MEA) was adopted annually until the 1970s, there has been a tremendous growth in such agreements over the last two decades. 1 On the one hand it may be deemed positive that new institutions are created to deal with environmental problems as more political energy is added; on the other, this may create problems through duplication of work and problems of co-ordination. Overall, the latter perspective has tended to dominate discussion of this development. The most important arena for the making of MEAs has been within the framework of the United Nations (UN). What is the role of the UN in international environmental governance? According to key UN documents there is a need to strengthen and streamline the role of the organization; more and better co-ordination is called for. But what can realistically be expected from the role of the UN within MEAs, and what is the role of various UN bodies in this regard? If there is a need for more co-ordination, by which means can this most effectively be accomplished? Is a ‘holistic systems approach’ the way to deal with the problem? If so, is this feasible, or is the existing ad hoc system the best that can be attained. Or should alternatives outside of the UN system be considered? In order to answer these questions, a brief account is presented on how this is perceived within the UN system.
