This thesis examines the influence of contemporary approaches to biodiversity conservation on conceptions of state sovereignty over natural resources. Traditional approaches to state sovereignty have emphasized the right of states to exploit natural resources. Contemporary approaches to biodiversity conservation, however, have given rise to a more flexible and dynamic understanding of state sovereignty over natural resources: one encompassing sovereign rights of exploitation along with corresponding conservation responsibilities. Founded upon this premise, the thesis focuses on the emergence of a 'balanced' approach to state sovereignty over natural resources and examines its effects on the role of states in managing natural resources. While addressing it as the basis of the emergence of the recognition of a duty of environmental protection, inter alia, in the form of biodiversity conservation and sustainable use of biological resources, the author suggests that the balanced approach to state sovereignty has been instrumental in redefining the role of states, and the role of the sovereignty principle itself in achieving the goal of biodiversity conservation.

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The deregulation movement affecting the industrialized countries forced the governments to refocus their prescribed standards. In some jurisdictions, the difficulty raised by this practice resulted in the establishment, with the industry, of a negotiation plan for environmental agreements. In this document, we will explore the problematic of the characterization in law of environmental agreements reached by the administration and the industry. Furthermore, we will evaluate the pros and cons of using this system in the public administration. / The subject of this research is mainly based on the depollution attestation adopted in 1988 by the Assemblee Nationale du Quebec to oversee industrial wastes. In effect since 1993, the implementation of this authorization plan has been affected by the various discussions that took place between the pulp and paper industry and the ministere de l'Environnement (MENV). The Protocole d'entente sur la mise en oeuvre des attestations d'assainissement, negociated between the MENV and the Quebec Forest Industries Association in 2000, initiated the licensing procedure of the first depollution attestations to the paper manufacturers targeted by section IV.2 of the Quebec Environment Quality Act. Qualified as a gentlemen's agreement, we will define the obligations of all the parties involved according to the terms of this Memorandum of Understanding. In closing, we will analyze the operating licence systems based upon the integrated approach of the European Union and the United States of America. We will therefore be able to compare the openness to consensus with the industrial sectors of those plans with that of the depollution attestation.

This thesis used female genital mutilation as a lens through which the effectiveness of the current laws aimed at protecting women and girls can be explored.

<p>Thirty years after it has achieved its independence, the Republic of Chad, which has faced a long political instability, decided to exploit its oil resources in order to achieve its development objectives. Owing to the difficulties encountered in mobilizing financial resources for the realization of the project, the Government obtained from the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development (IBRD) a loan US$39.5 millions. The loan Agreement, signed between the two parties on 29 March 2001 included a provision referring to the Petroleum Revenue Management Program, described in schedule 5 of the Agreement. This Petroleum Revenue Management Program imposed a number of obligations, related to the actions to be undertaken by the Chadian Government prior to the release of the funds by the Bank, and to the modalities to be followed in the course of the management of the oil revenues. These obligations are also known as governance conditionalities. This theses raised the issues of the legitimacy of the Bank's Governance conditionality, its impact on both the sovereignty of the borrower to freely determine the use of its resources and the effectiveness of the loan.</p>

Thesis (Ph. D.)--Columbia University, 1928. / Vita. Published also as Teachers College, Columbia University, Contributions to education, no. 299. Bibliography: p. 73-78.

Thesis (Ph.D.)--University of Turku, 2009. / Includes bibliographical references.

LL.M. (International Law) / Please refer to full text to view abstract

The South African economy has seen an increase in small businesses since 1994. This increase has been caused by an increase in unemployment rate and government interventions to promote small businesses. The government has through the National Treasury introduced various tax legislations to simplify and facilitate the tax processes that small businesses have to comply with. The discussion contained in this treatise seeks to critically analyse the tax implications for small and micro businesses. One of the small business tax legislations, Small Business Corporations, is discussed in chapter 2. The Small Business Corporation legislation provides for two key concessions to qualifying small businesses. The first concession is the progressive tax rates that are lower than normal tax rates at taxable income level below R300 000. The second concession is the special capital allowances that the qualifying small business is entitled to. The tax amnesty for small businesses was introduced in July 2006 to provide an opportunity to small businesses which were not up to date with their tax affairs, to regularise their tax affairs. Small businesses had to meet certain requirements and pay an amnesty levy ranging from 2 to 5 percent of their taxable income. The tax amnesty on small businesses was not as effective as intended, however a slight increase in the South African taxpayer base was achieved. The voluntary disclosure programme has recently been introduced in November 2010, to provide an opportunity for all businesses to voluntarily disclose their previous defaults without being subjected to criminal prosecution and penalties. The government further attempted to simplify the tax compliance process by introducing turnover tax legislation. The turnover tax provides for a single tax system that does away with the need to account for normal tax, capital gains tax, secondary tax on companies and value added tax. The turnover tax system is optional to qualifying small businesses. The turnover tax is calculated by simply applying a tax rate to taxable turnover. Small businesses need carefully consider whether turnover tax will be beneficial to them. It is not advisable for small businesses that are making losses to adopt turnover tax. Another small business tax legislation that promises to be effective is the venture capital incentive. This legislation provides for deduction of expenditure actually incurred in the acquisition of shares by qualifying businesses. It appears that, given the challenges that small businesses still face, the government still has a lot more to do to simplify the tax process for small businesses.

South Africa is one of the countries with a very horrifying history. However, in the dawn of democratic governance, a worldly admirable constitution was brought into picture. The 1993 and 1996 South African Constitutions entrenched an elaborate Bill of Rights with provisions empowering courts to grant “appropriate relief and to make “just and equitable” orders. Happily, the Bill of Rights included justiciable and enforceable socio-economic rights. Amongst them, there is a right of access to adequate housing, for which this work is about. South Africa is viewed as a country with developed jurisprudence in the enforcement of socio-economic rights, hence it has been used as a lesson for Lesotho. Lesotho is still drowning in deep blue seas on enforcement of socio-economic rights either because the constitution itself hinders the progress thereon or because the parliament is unwilling to commit execute to the obligations found in the socio-economic rights filed. This work scrutinizes many jurisdictions and legal systems with a view to draw lively examples that may be followed by Lesotho courts towards enforcing housing rights. Indian and South African jurisprudences epitomize this notion.