The 31st May 2022 marks the 40th anniversary of the commencement of the Montevideo Programme for the Development and Periodic Review of Environmental Law. This milestone year also marks the 50th anniversary of the Stockholm Declaration, the 50th anniversary of the United Nations Environment Programme, as well as the 30th anniversary of the Rio Summit.

This is an ideal occasion to celebrate the progressive development of environmental rule of law and the achievements of Member States, international organisations and the global community to address environmental challenges through the law in this time. UNEP has been working on the environmental rule of law since UNEPs creation in 1972 and engages with members states and other actors to promote and advance environmental rule of law through its law projects and the Montevideo Programme. UNEP seeks to raise awareness of the achievements and impact it has had over the last 40 years since the commencement of the Montevideo Programme.

We would like to invite you to join us in this celebration.

The Event

The 24-hour global event focuses on the development of environmental law over the past 50 years and its impact to address environmental challenges. The event will be run over 12 sessions across the 31st May following the time zones of the globe from the Pacific to South America. Each of the 12 sessions will have a session organizer and a specific environmental law topic. Each session will last approximately 100 minutes, with a 20-minute break between sessions