Environmental Damage and the United Nations Claims Commission: New Directions for Future International Environmental Cases?

Abstract

On 30 June 2005, the panel of commissioners appointed by the Governing Council of the United Nations Compensation Commission (UNCC) to review the claims for environmental damage and depletion of natural resources resulting from Iraq's invasion and occupation of Kuwait (the F4 Panel) completed its work with the submission of its fifth and final report to the Governing Council of the UNCC. This chapter considers the relevance that the reports of the Panel may have for future cases concerning reparation for environmental damage. In this regard, it must be pointed out that the Panel did not operate in a legal vacuum. While environmental damage is a relatively new concept, it has already acquired legal recognition. The chapter provides an overview of the notion of environmental damage at the municipal and international levels. Keywords: environmental damage; internationalenvironmental law; Iraq; Kuwait; natural resources; United Nations Compensation Commission (UNCC)