The High-Level Meeting on the Rule of Law and the Environment took place on 17 February 2013 at the UN Office in Nairobi, Kenya. The meeting, which was held on the eve of the 27th session of the Governing Council/Global Ministerial Environment Forum (GC27/GMEF) of the UN Environment Programme (UNEP) scheduled to convene from 18-22 February 2013, was attended by high-ranking representatives of the judicial, legal and auditing professions, among others. The aim of the meeting was to provide a platform for participants to: discuss important recent developments and new opportunities regarding the rule of law in the field of the environment; and consider how the rule of law can be promoted for greater effect in the quest for environmental sustainability, sustainable development and social justice.

Discussions during the one-day event were divided into sessions on: UNEP, the UN Conference on Sustainable Development (UNCSD, or Rio+20) and new perspectives for the rule of law in the environment; the mutually supportive relationship between the adherence to the rule of law and respect for human rights; access to justice, public participation and information; and the challenges to sustainable development and the rule of law.

This briefing note provides a summary of the presentations and discussions during the meeting.

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