If Not Us, Who? How States – With the Help of Civil Society – Can Implement the Legal Framework Protecting the Environment from Armed Conflict

Jun 10, 2021 | Doug Weir and Stavros-Evdokimos Pantazopoulos
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The International Law Commission’s long-running project to codify and progressively develop the legal framework protecting the environment in relation to armed conflicts is nearing completion. But the process is unlikely to conclude in a treaty. Because of this, States, with the support of civil society and other actors, will have a vital role to play in ensuring the framework is implemented, and a decade’s gains are further solidified.

This post, which is part of a series on war, law and the environment co-hosted with the Conflict and Environment Observatory (CEOBS), looks ahead to what should come after the Commission’s draft principles are adopted in 2022. In it, CEOBS’ Doug Weir and Stavros Pantazopoulos examine the vital role that civil society organizations can play in promoting and strengthening implementation of norms, encouraging State engagement on environmental protection, and monitoring implementation.