Industrial activity is a major contributor to many of the environmental and social problems facing society today. Industrial activity has, however, the potential to make an important contribution to achieving a sustainable society. It has been recognized that a key determinant of success for sustainable development is the linking of trade and environment. Rapid globalization, initiated in part by advances in communications technology, has facilitated the integration of national systems of production and finance, resulting in the growth of cross-border flows of goods, services and capital. Concepts and systems of manufacture have rapidly changed. This has had both negative and positive consequences for sustainability and has led to disagreements between developed and developing countries and within countries themselves. There are increased tensions between trade and environmental policies and issues. Environmental issues are becoming globalized, and it is now well recognized that many actions and impacts in one region have global impacts. As a result, environmental issues are increasingly becoming part of trade issues.

The Western Indian Ocean (WIO) is one of the richest regions of the world for biodiversity. It comprises diverse ecosystems both in terms of biodiversity and the ecosystem services provided, as is the case of coral reefs and mangroves. These areas are important for both wildlife and human populations; offering breeding and foraging areas for flagship marine and migratory species and providing protection for communities and property against storms, sea level rise and coastal erosion. The coastal population of the region is largely dependent on the health and productivity of these and other ecosystems through fishing, coastal agriculture, and tourism.

The present report has been prepared pursuant to General Assembly resolution 72/277 entitled “Towards a Global Pact for the Environment”, in which the Assembly requested the Secretary-General to submit, at its seventy-third session in 2018, a technical and evidence-based report that identifies and assesses possible gaps in international environmental law and environment-related instruments with a view to strengthening their implementation.
The report reviews and analyses the corpus of international environmental law and environment-related instruments as well as the governance structure and implementation of international environmental law. It reveals gaps and deficiencies at multiple levels.