mainly created in the field of the international protection of human rights, with rather encouraging results. Different solutions are used: the international body may be an organ where states are represented, like the UN Commission on Human Rights,45 an expert group, like its Sub-Commission on the Prevention of Discrimination and Protection of Minorities,46 a quasi-judiciary organ like the European Commission of Human Rights,47 or a real tribunal, like the European or the American Court of Human Rights.48 The procedure depends not only on the nature of such bodies, but also on the progress of international awareness and cooperation in this field. Communications may be addressed in some cases by states,49 in others by individuals or groups of individuals,50 or even by both categories51 to determined bodies. Sometimes these are real applications submitted to strict rules of admissibility.52 The role of international public opinion is always very important, although the form of its intervention may be different according to the different procedures. Non-governmental organizations participate in the discussions of the UN Commission on Human Rights and are given the floor, but confidentiality is the rule in certain procedures.53 However, at the end, findings and reports on violations of human rights are generally made public and in some cases this constitutes the main sanction.54 In other circumstances the procedure ends with a formal decision of an international court of human rights that may condemn the concerned state to reparation.55
Such a complete outfit certainly does not exist for the surveillance of the implementation of obligations related to the environment, at least not yet. However, the "reporting system" is more and more often used. One of the models was Article 11 of the 1973 International Convention for the Prevention of Pollution from Ships (MARPOL),56 according to which the contracting parties undertake to communicate to the Intergovernmental Maritime Organization, inter alia, the text of laws, orders, decrees, regulations, and other instruments that have been promulgated on the various matters within the scope of the convention, as well as official reports that show the results of the application of the Convention, and also an annual statistical report of penalties imposed for infringement of the Convention. The latter communications are to be circulated to all parties.57
The most recent worldwide international convention related to the environment was the Basel Convention on the Control of Transboundary Movements of Hazardous Wastes and Their Disposal, of 22 March 1989,58 which shows some progress when compared to the 1973 London Convention,59 but of course, between the two instruments quite a few others have organized reporting systems. According to the Basel Convention, the Parties shall inform each other through the Secretariat - which is at this moment UNEP - of transboundary movements of hazardous wastes in which they were involved, on the measures adopted by them in the implementation of the Convention, as well as of accidents occurring during the transboundary movement and disposal of hazardous wastes and on the measures undertaken to deal with them.60 The Secretariat then prepares reports based upon such information, as well as upon, as appropriate, information provided by relevant intergovernmental and non-governmental entities.61 It may be presumed that such reports are to be submitted to the conference of parties, since this body created by the Convention "shall keep under continuous review and evaluation the effective implementation of this Convention."62 As this had been stressed, the role recognized to non-governmental entities, such as associations, for ensuring the implementation of a treaty related to environmental protection is an important step forward.
Further developments in this direction are to be envisaged: in fact, they are needed more and more. Some proposals have been made tending to the establishment of a real international jurisdiction in this field.63 At a first stage, surveil