Environmental Rule of Law: First Global Report - Executive Summary

This document presents the executive summary of the first global assessment of environmental rule of law, explaining how robust laws must be understood, respected, and enforced to keep societies within ecological limits and to realize the Sustainable Development Goals. It traces rapid legal growth since the 1970s and 1990s, noting that by 2017 many countries had framework laws, constitutional protections, and cabinet-level environmental institutions, yet implementation has lagged. Causes include unclear mandates, poor tailoring to local conditions, weak and underfunded agencies, and a backlash against defenders and civil society, shortcomings seen in both developing and developed contexts. The report proposes regular global assessments using consistent indicators, pilot testing and exchange of approaches, and practical steps such as clarifying institutional mandates, building public capacity, protecting defenders, specialized courts, administrative enforcement, and targeted research, highlighting benefits that extend to health, development, peace, and rights. Full report is available at: https://wedocs.unep.org/handle/20.500.11822/27279