The role of the UN in the development of international agreements, with a special focus on the international environmental agreements on environment

The importance of the United Nations (UN) for the development of international agreements is considered in the context of contemporary globalization processes and the strengthening of the activities regarding global environmental issues. The first part of the paper emphasises the UN goals, including the competence for the codification and progressive development of the international law. The second part of the paper deals with the history of the UN activities in the field of environment. Therefore, the focus is on a group of international multilateral environmental agreements which have been significantly developed and applied by the UN or by the organizations within the UN system. Particular attention is drawn to the activities of the UN Environment Program and the UN International Law Commission. The paper elaborates on the thesis that the contribution of the UN and the organizations within the UN system should be crucial for managing global environmental issues. It is not denied that there is a need for examining the effectiveness of the existing international agreements.