C. Non-Compliance Procedures

Abstract

This year, the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic continued to significantly impact the functioning of non-compliance procedures for multilateral environmental agreements (MEAs). The compliance committees of several MEAs had their respective meetings either postponed or held in an exclusively virtual format. The compliance committees of the Paris Agreement to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (Paris Agreement), the Montreal Protocol on Substances That Deplete the Ozone Layer (Montreal Protocol), and the Basel Convention on the Control of Transboundary Movements of Hazardous Wastes and Their Disposal (Basel Convention) each held virtual meetings and are the focus of this report. A key element on the Paris Agreement’s non-compliance procedure is the Implementation and Compliance Committee (PAICC), which was established under Article 15, paragraph 2, of the agreement. The PAICC’s role is to facilitate the implementation of, and promote compliance with, the provisions of the Paris Agreement. A key focus for the committee this year was drafting recommendations on its rules of procedure for consideration by the third Conference of the Parties (COP) serving as the Meeting of the Parties (CMA-3) in Glasgow in November.