This study is an off-shoot of the work (begun in 1998) by the author on the process of “institutionalization” in the field of international environmental law. This book seeks to take a closer view of the multilateral regulatory technique to address sector-specific environmental problematique, as well as of the legal status of the secretariats that “service” the institutionalized intergovernmental process. The work was spread over a period of some nine years, during which the author visited various secretariats of multilateral environmental agreements (MEAs) and held discussions with concerned dramatis personae in the field, both in person and through written communications.

The initial interest in the crucial aspect of legal status of the secretariats was triggered by interactions with Arnulf Müller-Helmbrecht, then Executive Secretary of the Convention on Migratory Species of Wild Animals (CMS), during my stay in Bonn. I was inspired by Ulf's sheer passion, knowledge of the field, legal acumen, and firsthand account of the pitched battles he fought to extract “legal due” for the secretariat of the CMS. The resultant insight provided the initial basis for a closer look into the mystical area of the legal status of convention secretariats from my perches at various times in the cities of Bonn, Geneva, and Heidelberg.

I express my gratitude to Alexander von Humboldt Stiftung who generously made possible my stays in Bonn, Geneva, and Heidelberg.