Australia's engagement with the UN on environmental issues: Benefits and balance

The United Nations system has become increasingly complex in terms of the way it attends to the challenges of environmental change. Some clarity is offered in this chapter on exactly what constitutes the ‘United Nations’ with which Australia engages on environmental issues, Australia’s earlyengagement with the organisation, and three major sites of engagement - summits, treaties, and institutions. In examining how Australian governments have located themselves within the UN system on environmental issues, this chapter also takes account of various modes of engagement, with a particular focus on active negotiation, institutional membership and program support.