_CROSREF.jpg)
Rethinking Global Institutions in Environmental Protection: Guardians or Bystanders?
Abstract
Global environmental degradation, driven by climate change, resource overexploitation, and rapid urban expansion, challenges the effectiveness of international institutions in functioning as genuine guardians rather than passive bystanders in environmental protection. This study critically examines the role of international organizations by analyzing their legal and institutional frameworks, evaluating their practical performance, identifying key implementation constraints, and formulating reform-oriented measures. The research applies a descriptive, analytical, critical, and inductive approach through a systematic assessment of international legal instruments, institutional practices, and relevant scholarly discourse. The study finds that environmental degradation continues to intensify despite the proliferation of international agreements, indicating a persistent gap between normative commitments and practical outcomes. Limited national capacities, weak coordination among international institutions, and the absence of effective enforcement mechanisms significantly undermine institutional effectiveness. Consequently, many international obligations operate at a formal level without achieving substantive implementation. The study concludes that strengthening international environmental governance requires comprehensive legal and institutional reforms that enhance compliance, improve coordination, and ensure effective enforcement of environmental obligations.
Keywords
Full Text:
PDFReferences
Absori, Absori, Arief Budiono, Maya Khater, Chetan Mukundan and Restu Mufanti, ‘Principle of Ecological Restorative Justice in Corporate Environmental Crimes Policies’, Contrarius, 2 (2026), 87–109 https://doi.org/10.53955/contrarius.v2i2.271
Adel, Mohammed A., Ahmed M. Mohamed, and Mohammed Altwaiji, (2024). The representation of women with disabilities in Shahira Al-Hasan’s Cochlea’s Secrets. Journal of International Women’s Studies, 26(6), 8. https://vc.bridgew.edu/jiws/vol26/iss6/8
Abouelnour, M. M., ALQaydi, A. M., Alhourani, M. I., Telfah, S. M., & Abou Adel, M. (2024). The ideology of giving in Sheikh Sultan Al Qasimi’s speeches. Pakistan Journal of Life and Social Sciences, 22(2), 8687–8705. https://doi.org/10.57239/PJLSS-2024-22.2.00654
Al-Fatih, Sholahuddin, Clarizze Yvoine Mirielle, Enas Qutieshat, Uzoho Kelechi and Narzullaev Olim Kholmamatovich, ‘Questioning Ecological Justice in Indonesian Forestry Regulations’, Contrarius, 2 (2026), 226–46 https://doi.org/10.53955/contrarius.v2i3.295
Albakjaji, Mohamad and Jinane El Baroudy, ‘The Effectiveness of the International Environmental Law: The Issues of State Sovereignty, National Interests, and Differing Levels of Commitments’, Journal of Ecohumanism, 3 (2024), 1348–54 https://doi.org/10.62754/joe.v3i7.4297
Ali Kusumo, Bambang, Rustambekov Islambek Rustambekovich, Yakubov Axtam Nusratilloyevich and Xodjayev Baxshillo Kamolovich, ‘Corporate Crime Prevention Through Sustainable Governance and Regulatory Reform’, Journal of Sustainable Development and Regulatory Issues (JSDERI), 3 (2025), 616–40 https://doi.org/10.53955/jsderi.v3i3.168
Annabi, Alireza and Mahmoud Jalali, ‘Investigating The Central Performance of International Organizations in Environmental Protection’, International Journal of New Findings in Health and Educational Sciences (IJHES), 1 (2023), 1–25 https://doi.org/10.63053/ijhes.11
Babu, Kudrat-E Khuda, Akanda Muhammad Jahid, Nazia Afroz Ananna, Arghyadeep Chakraborty and Moriom Akter Mou, ‘The Principles of International Environmental Protection and Global Obligations: An Analysis Based on the Legal Context’, Nature Environment and Pollution Technology, 22 (2023), 1401–9 https://doi.org/10.46488/NEPT.2023.v22i03.026
Baldwin, Gunnar, Jo Gerardu, Meredith R Koparova and Henk Ruessink, ‘International Compliance and Enforcement Networks: The Critical Role of Collaboration in Environmental Protection’, in Environmental Crime and Collaborative State Intervention (London: Palgrave Macmillan UK, 2016), pp. 21–38 https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-137-56257-9_2
El Baroudy, Jinane, Mohamad Albakjaji and Maya Khater, ‘Between Protection and Destruction: The Legal Tension Between Military Necessity and Cultural Heritage Protection in International Humanitarian Law’, F1000Research, 14 (2025), 1032 https://doi.org/10.12688/f1000research.170650.2
Bhat, Raies A, Bashir A Elahi, Tahir A Shiekh and Gazanfer Gani, ‘Climate Change and Its Effects on Biodiversity: A Global Perspective’, Plant Science Review, 5 (2024), 21–27 https://doi.org/10.51470/PSR.2024.05.02.21
Bullock, Eric L, Curtis E Woodcock, Carlos Souza and Pontus Olofsson, ‘Satellite‐based Estimates Reveal Widespread Forest Degradation in the Amazon’, Global Change Biology, 26 (2020), 2956–69 https://doi.org/10.1111/gcb.15029
Cairns, J, W Glamore and F Johnson, ‘Environmental Water Requirements and Climate Sensitivity of Australia’s Upland Swamps’, Science of The Total Environment, 966 (2025), 178792 https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scitotenv.2025.178792
Chami, Yassine, Dina Imad, Maya Khater and Mohamed El Arbi Aoka, ‘Abuse of Rights: A Comparative Study between Mālikī Jurisprudence &Amp; Positive Law’, AHKAM : Jurnal Ilmu Syariah, 25 (2025), 415–28 https://doi.org/10.15408/ajis.v25i2.44606
Chami, Yassine and Maya Khater, ‘Re-Evaluating Contractual Relativity: Third-Party Effects in Islamic and Positive Legal Frameworks’, Mazahib, 24 (2025), 309–28 https://doi.org/10.21093/mj.v24i2.11151
———, ‘The Influence Of Maliki Jurisprudence On The French Civil Law In Terms Of The Opposability Of The Relative Effect Of Contract To Third Parties: A Comparative Study’, Malaysian Journal of Syariah and Law, 13 (2025), 123–33 https://doi.org/10.33102/mjsl.vol13no1.1157
Christiani, Theresia Anita, Elisabeth Sundari, Aloysius Wisnubroto, Gregorius Widiartana and Maristel M. Dela Cruz, ‘Indonesia’s Palm Oil Plantation Regulations for Promoting Community Protection and Justice’, Contrarius, 2 (2026), 247–74 https://doi.org/10.53955/contrarius.v2i3.296
Deng, Jianyu, ‘Enhancing Environmental Conservation through the Implementation of GMOs’, MedScien, 1 (2024) https://doi.org/10.61173/z026t125
El-Erian, Mohamed, ‘The Role of Artificial Intelligence in Enhancing Corporate Governance and Achieving Sustainable Development’, Access to Justice in Eastern Europe, 2026, 208 https://doi.org/10.33327/AJEE-18-9.1-a000177
‘Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations’, in FAO Strategic Framework 2022–31
Garber, Paul A, Alejandro Estrada, Sam Shanee, Magdalena S Svensson, Luis Verde Arregoitia, Vincent Nijman, and others, ‘Global Wildlife Trade and Trafficking Contribute to the World’s Nonhuman Primate Conservation Crisis’, Frontiers in Conservation Science, 5 (2024) https://doi.org/10.3389/fcosc.2024.1400613
Goldman, E., Carter, S., & Sims, M, ‘Global Forest Review’, Fires Drove Record-Breaking Tropical Forest Loss in 2024
Hedemann-Robinson, Martin, Enforcement of International Environmental Law (Abingdon, Oxon ; New York, NY : Routledge, 2018. | Series: Routledge research in international environmental law: Routledge, 2018) https://doi.org/10.4324/9781351066587
Imad, Dina, Maya Khater, Nagwa Abouhaiba, Enas Qutieshat and Ali AlMatrooshi, ‘Doctrinal and Comparative Assessment of GMO Liability Laws in the UAE’, Journal of Human Rights, Culture and Legal System, 6 (2026), 31–58 https://doi.org/10.53955/jhcls.v6i1.701
Insan Ali and Anisur Rahman -, ‘Environmental Degradation: Causes, Effects and Solutions’, International Journal For Multidisciplinary Research, 6 (2024) https://doi.org/10.36948/ijfmr.2024.v06i03.20366
Kelly, MJ, ‘Overcoming Obstacles to the Effective Implementation of International Environmental Agreements.’, Georgetown International Environmental Law Review, 9 (1997), 447–488
Khater, Maya and Yassine Chami, ‘Effectiveness of the Legal Framework for Humanitarian Assistance during Armed Conflicts: The Aggression against Lebanon as a Case Study’, Research Journal in Advanced Humanities, 6 (2025) https://doi.org/10.58256/caqpva90
Khater, Maya, Yassine Chami, Dina Imad, Nagwa Abouhaiba and Zeyad Jaffal, ‘Assessing the Impact of Green Tourism on Sustainable Development: A Case Study of the United Arab Emirates’, Research Journal in Advanced Humanities, 6 (2025) https://doi.org/10.58256/0m0wvr07
Khater, Maya, Yassine Chami and Mohamad Albakjaji, ‘Legal Environmental Protection and Sustainable Development in the United Arab Emirates’, Journal of Human Rights, Culture and Legal System, 5 (2025), 378–411 https://doi.org/10.53955/jhcls.v5i2.469
Krämer, Ludwig, ‘The Time for Lofty Speeches Is Over - It Is Time for Implementation: The Problem of 50 Years of Application of International Environmental Law’, Revista Catalana de Dret Ambiental, 13 (2022) https://doi.org/10.17345/rcda3464
Krampe, Florian, Joakim Kreutz and Tobias Ide, ‘“Armed Conflict Causes Long-Lasting Environmental Harms”’, Environment and Security, 2025 https://doi.org/10.1177/27538796251323739
Laksana, Andri Winjaya, Bambang Manumayoso and Arida Turymshayeva, ‘The Effect of Tax Transparency on the Effectiveness of Indonesia’s Mining Tax Policy’, Contrarius, 2 (2026), 183–204 https://doi.org/10.53955/contrarius.v2i2.290
Lin, Zhixin, Youpeng Xu, Qiang Wang, Shuang Luo, Miao Lu and Zhihui Yu, ‘River System Changes under Urban Expansion: Insights from the Suzhou-Wuxi-Changzhou Metropolitan Area, China’, Journal of Hydrology: Regional Studies, 53 (2024), 101766 https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ejrh.2024.101766
Mahmood, Muhammad Aamir, ‘Building Resilience’, in Strengthening Global Resilience to Natural Disasters (IGI Global Scientific Publishing, 2025), pp. 231–42 https://doi.org/10.4018/979-8-3693-9745-9.ch009
Manumayoso, Bambang, Abdul Kadir Jaelani, Wan Mohd Khairul Firdaus and Tojiboev Akbar Zafar Ogli, ‘Sustainable Tourism in Indonesia’s Ring of Fire: Toward Ecological Justice and Green Energy’, Journal of Sustainable Development and Regulatory Issues (JSDERI), 3 (2025), 590–615 https://doi.org/10.53955/jsderi.v3i3.105
Melliou, Charoula, ‘International Cooperation: The Scope and Challenges of International Environmental Agreements’, SSRN Electronic Journal, 2015 https://doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.2743147
Nordbeck, Ralf, ‘International Policy Transfer and Domestic Politics. The Limited Effectiveness of National Environmental Strategies in Romania’, Comparative Southeast European Studies, 63 (2015), 393–411 https://doi.org/10.1515/soeu-2015-630304
Nsah, Kenneth Toah, ‘Conserving Africa’s Eden? Green Colonialism, Neoliberal Capitalism, and Sustainable Development in Congo Basin Literature’, Humanities, 12 (2023), 38 https://doi.org/10.3390/h12030038
O’Neill, Kate, ‘International Organizations’, in Routledge Handbook of Global Environmental Politics (London: Routledge, 2022), pp. 105–17 https://doi.org/10.4324/9781003008873-11
Phe, Ajeck Portia, ‘A Legal Appraisal of the Conceptualization of Environmental Protection’, Studies in Law and Justice, 4 (2025), 36–46 https://doi.org/10.56397/SLJ.2025.08.03
Reframing Global Environmental Governance: Results of a CIGI/CIS Collaboration, ed. by Jennifer Clapp Steven Bernstein and and Matthew Hoffmann (The Centre for International Governance Innovation, 2009)
Rodríguez, Iokiñe, Mirna Inturias, Elmar Masay and Anacleto Peña, ‘Decolonizing Wildfire Risk Management: Indigenous Responses to Fire Criminalization Policies and Increasingly Flammable Forest Landscapes in Lomerío, Bolivia’, Environmental Science & Policy, 147 (2023), 103–15 https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.1016/j.envsci.2023.06.005
Shao, Wanting, ‘Environmental Diplomacy in Transition: Contemporary Impediments and Policy Countermeasures’, Lecture Notes in Education Psychology and Public Media, 24 (2023), 71–76 https://doi.org/10.54254/2753-7048/24/20230576
Sohag, A, ‘The Influence of Soft Law on Environmental Protection: Insights and Recommendations.’, International Journal of Law, 11 (2025), 143–147
Stephan, Hannes R and Fariborz Zelli, ‘International Organizations and the Global Environment’, in The Politics of the Environment (Routledge, 2018), pp. 52–70 https://doi.org/10.4324/9781315728278-4
Stewardson, MJ, JA Webb and A Horne, ‘Chapter 7 - Environmental Flows and Eco-Hydrological Assessments in Rivers’, in Decision Making in Water Resources Policy and Management, ed. by Barry T Hart and Jane Doolan (Academic Press, 2017), pp. 113–32 https://doi.org/https://doi.org/10.1016/B978-0-12-810523-8.00008-2
Sukania, I Wayan, Agustinus Purna Irawan, Fransisca Iriani Roesmala Dewi and Esanov Azamat Esirgapovich, ‘Legal Protection of Intellectual Property Rights in Indonesia for SME Performance’, Journal of Sustainable Development and Regulatory Issues (JSDERI), 3 (2025), 515–39 https://doi.org/10.53955/jsderi.v3i3.104
Syamsu, Syamsir, Diah Gustiniati Maulani and Dauri A, ‘ROLE AND POSITION OF INTERNATIONAL ENVIRONMENTAL INSTITUTIONS IN ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT’, International Journal of Advanced Research, 12 (2024), 1186–93 https://doi.org/10.21474/IJAR01/18662
Volik, Viacheslav and Olha Bespalova, ‘The Role of International Organizations in Maintaining Environmental Security’, Teisė, 121 (2021), 148–57 https://doi.org/10.15388/Teise.2021.121.9
Yadav, Rohan, ‘International Environmental Law Principles and Their Application in Environment Protection Act, 2076’, Bharatpur Pragya: Journal of Multidisciplinary Studies, 3 (2025), 120–36 https://doi.org/10.3126/bpjms.v3i01.76248
Yan, Pu, Marcos Fernández‐Martínez, Koenraad Van Meerbeek, Guirui Yu, Mirco Migliavacca and Nianpeng He, ‘The Essential Role of Biodiversity in the Key Axes of Ecosystem Function’, Global Change Biology, 29 (2023), 4569–85 https://doi.org/10.1111/gcb.16666
DOI: https://doi.org/10.20961/bestuur.v13i2.115011
Refbacks
- There are currently no refbacks.
Copyright (c) 2026 Maya Khater, Aishah Alkaabi, Enas Qutieshat, Maitha Alameri, Hamda Alkaabi
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
|
