The World Congress convened on Monday at Mangaratiba, State of Rio de Janeiro for its first full day of discussions. Participants met in Plenary and parallel sessions.

The morning Plenary commenced with opening remarks from partner and host organizations, an introduction to the objectives of the World Congress and the adoption of the meeting agenda. Parallel sessions in the morning focused on new approaches to social justice and environmental sustainability. One session addressed the rights-based approach, the nexus between human rights and the environment and the emergence of environmental rights. The other examined the promotion of access to information, public participation and access to justice in environmental matters.

In the afternoon, participants engaged in parallel sessions on improving the effectiveness of environmental governance at the national, regional and global levels. These included a session on the precepts and enabling conditions for effective governance at the national level, focusing on: linkages between effective national governance and the implementation of international environmental treaties, the establishment of specialized environmental courts, and capacity building. This was held alongside a session on effective governance at the regional and international levels, including the role of cross-border cooperation in environmental matters.

The day wrapped up with a closing session summarizing discussions in the parallel sessions and closing remarks.