A Study on Capacity Building and Technology Transfer in Multilateral Environmental Agreements(MEAs)
Authors:   Korea International Law Review, Park Byungdo 
Published: November 2023

Environmental problems of a global nature, such as climate change, are urgent challenges that pose a threat not only to developing countries but also to developed countries. Therefore, in order to effectively implement Multilateral Environmental Agreements(MEAs), developed countries must take the lead and also support developing countries. Supporting developing countries that are having difficulty implementing the agreement is an essential elements as it determines the success or failure of the treaty.
In order to effectively implement MEAs, it is necessary to establish a system to support developing countries to fulfill the environmental obligations they have accepted through technical and financial support. In particular, the international community needs to provide support to countries (mainly developing countries) that agree to the conclusion of treaties to solve specific environmental problems but do not have or lack the capacity to solve them.
There are a number of means to support effective implementation of MEAs. Main means include financial support, technology transfer, and capacity building activities for developing countries. Looking at recent trends, provisions related to strengthening the implementation capacity of developing countries through technology transfer and financial support are gaining an important place in MEAs. Without appropriate capacity building and technology transfer, it is difficult to effectively achieve the main objectives of the relevant international environmental agreement. From this perspective, capacity building and technology transfer are essential elements for effective implementation of international environmental agreements.
In the 2015 Paris Agreement, a treaty structure that stipulated technology transfer and capacity building in stand-alone provision(article) emerged, and in the BBNJ Agreement concluded in 2023, content related to capacity building and technology transfer was grouped into a separate chapter(Part). It has an impressive treaty structure, stipulating a total of seven articles. Capacity building and technology transfer form part of the global environmental governance architecture established by the relevant MEAs.
In this article, I analyze the relevant provisions of major MEAs, focusing on capacity building through technology transfer for effective implementation of MEAs. First, we analyze regulations related to capacity building and technology transfer, focusing on the Convention on Biological Diversity and the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, which deal with biodiversity and climate change, which are the most important issues in the international environmental field in the 21st century. Next, I examine the structure and content of the capacity building and technology transfer provisions of the BBNJ Agreement, which was recently adopted in 2023, as the treaty with the most impressive capacity building and technology transfer provisions. The structure and content of the capacity-building and technology transfer provisions of the BBNJ Agreement, which can be evaluated as a model for desirable capacity-building and technology transfer-related regulations in the future, will also have a significant impact on the UN Plastic Treaty, which is expected to be concluded as a new international environmental agreement.