The U.N. General Assembly voted last week to take a first step toward establishing a Global Pact for the Environment, a decision the United States opposed. The 193-member world body approved the resolution on a vote of 143-5 with seven abstentions. The United States was joined in voting against the resolution by Russia, Turkey, Syria and the Philippines. The resolution asks Secretary-General António Guterres to produce a report for the next General Assembly session starting in September that identifies and assesses possible gaps in international environmental law and related legal instruments. It also establishes a working group to discuss possible options for addressing any gaps, with a view to making recommendations to the assembly in 2019 that could include holding a conference “to adopt an international instrument.” For the full story, see: https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/europe/un-votes-to-take-first-step-toward-a-global-environment-pact/2018/05/10/cc29442a-54bc-11e8-a6d4-ca1d035642ce_story.html?utm_term=.6f6d9e7c388d.